Trade Winds
by Ravyn
Summary: In a world where ships, cannons, and the edge of a sword determines a man's strength;Kamiya Kaoru is caught up with a pirate who lives life on the the edge of the Trade Winds. All because of a dark encounter in an alley. *Abandoned*
1. Chapter One

Alright. Well, I wasn't going to post anything until I had finished either Amber Linings or Twisted, but I decided I wanted something to work on that would get posted that wasn't in Meiji Japan. So this is what you get. About as far away from Meiji as a girl can get. This should be an interesting story, probably a bit lighter than some of my other stuff, but one never knows where the muse will take her. I hope you all enjoy.

Ravyn

Note: My wonderful beta edited this for me so it has been re-posted!

**Warning**: I do not own RK characters. Also, this story starts out with some **heavy lime and other content**. Deal with it.

* * *

Sixteen year old Kaoru had awoken with a pounding headache, a splitting pain shooting up her ankle, and a strong gag reflex. A _sane_ person would have been sitting on the bunk they had awoken in, waiting to see who had kidnapped them. They would have been planning on several ways to beg for their life or negotiate how to get out of the situation.

A sane person would probably also have been gutted by now. Pirates were notorious for kidnapping pretty girls from the docks, raping them brutally and then leaving there bodies to rot. Or, if they were particularly gruesome they would tie the carcass to the front of the ship like a demented figurehead of decaying female flesh. Preferably a young female body; Kaoru figured it was because she was so tiny in stature that she had gotten grabbed as it was. Her clothing was designed to hide her figure, and she could pass as a young boy or girl several years younger. Most demented men preferred there girls young.

Kaoru held perfectly still, clinging dangerously to the small, wooden handles built in to the side of the softly rocking ship. This was where running had seemingly gotten her. She was dangerously aware of her bare feet brushing against the edges of black, freezing water, of the dark bruises forming along her bare shoulders. There was a long, dangerous rip down the front of the red, clinging gown, displaying a large amount of her cleavage. In fact, Kaoru had never seen so much of herself exposed unless she was in a bathing house, and her face was dull red with a mixture of embarrassment and anger.

If she hadn't had as much exposure to ships before and since her father's death, she might not have known about this particular means of escape. As it was, it was the skills taught to her by her fellow street-rat bartenders that had gotten her out of the damn cabin. The Pirates on this ship had seriously underestimated her. Thank God. However, it didn't aid her any when it came to how to get onto the dock without dumping herself into the freezing British harbor.

This was all Sano's fault and he could pay for the damages done to her. If she was correct, her ankle was probably badly twisted from the fight, and her left wrist seemed to be a bit tender. Stupid, chicken-brained, useless man; _this was entirely his fault_. If he would keep a better eye on his barmaids so that they weren't kidnapped and molested, then this would never have happened. It was his responsibility to make sure they weren't grabbed out of the dirty, stinking tavern. Granted, the only reason she put up with it was because he didn't demand other privileges from his girls, and for that she was thankful. She wasn't a virgin; not anymore at least, but she didn't relish the idea of being raped.

Kaoru hated the fact that the docks were so dangerous to woman. She knew there were gang rapes, kidnappings, and that the women who randomly disappeared off docks into ships were rarely seen again, but the ocean and bustle was a beautiful thing. However, things like the hell that was happening to her, which explained a good many things about her current situation, did little to curb her need for the open seas. The fact that she was clinging to the side of a ship, her fingers burning with splinters, her torn dress allowing the chilling wind to caress her skin, leaving her now unbound breasts aching; that did curb it.

Kaoru kicked off the side of the boat, attempting to keep her balance as she gingerly set a foot on the spray-slick wood. Once she got her feet under her, wincing as she did so, she shoved as hard as could and landed hard on her ass. Kaoru swore in the bright, colorful, and degrading language she had learned from Sano as her slender form crashed into the stacked crates that she had been hoping to avoid. The breath was knocked clean from her lungs, and her ass smarted with the fact that she had hit something hard and more than a little unforgiving. Her left wrist sang its protest in a bright flash of agony, and she knew she had sprained it just a little. Looking up she desperately tumbled out of the sharp edges and cutting splinters. The sounds of voice and muted cursing had her bare feet pounding silently against the water-softened wood. The racket she had made had alerted her captors to the fact that she was free. Fuck.

The sound of _splashing_ as the ladder hit the water urged her to run faster, but the limping gate that she had adopted did nothing to help her speed up. Besides her limping, she had to avoid several things: broken glass, blood, vomit, an assortment of rusty blades broken or whole. Kaoru stopped like a breaking branch, her body shivering in the cool, damp night. She needed to find a way out, and she needed to do it soon. Buying time or giving the impression of disappearing…

Kaoru hissed between her teeth as she took precious seconds to examine her location, noticing for the first time the sultry woman on street corners and the dark, lusty looks sent in her direction. Her eyes scanned around, desperately, until they alighted on the group of men coming out of a bar. Her eyes slid right over the tall one, she couldn't reach him. The shaky plan her brain was piecing together had the potential to go very, very wrong, but if she pulled it off right…

His companion stepped into the light, and a flush of hot hope tore through her cold body. He was only a few inches taller than her, and seemed to be wavering slightly. She hoped it was alcohol, and that her actions wouldn't really register in his brain. He was just the right size for what she needed. The fact that the dim light painted him as pretty didn't take away from what she wanted; no, _needed_. He could have had the face of a gargoyle and she would have done what she had already decided to do.

Sprinting forward just as footsteps reached her ears, Kaoru slammed her small, slender frame into the solid form of the man and drove him into an alley. Her shoulders screaming in protest, but she gritted her teeth and kept her whimper of pain to herself. The man swore under his breath, surprise lighting his features just before her desperate mouth clamped over his, the shadows darkening the color of her dress. Her back hit the wall of the alley as she yanked him into her, pulling his hard body against her young curves. Kaoru heard the sounds of footsteps approaching and dug her hands into his hair and took aggressive measures, taking advantage of his surprise to tangle her tongue with his. She had to keep him from calling out; to give the impression of a man taking advantage of a cheap whore.

Kaoru soon was only absently aware of the men searching the area, especially when his hands slide down her spine and yanked her closer. He took control of the kiss with a skill that left her almost boneless in his arms, and she willingly slid into the heat of his embrace, the fact that his personal hygiene was slightly better than that of the wall slipping into her mind. Someone calling a name, Kenshin...that yanked her out of her state of heated bliss. Something clicked in her brain, something she had been attempting to ignore. Kaoru gave an exclamation of surprise and jerked back, her mind registering a nasty detail. There was no alcohol on his tongue.

Attempting to tear away, Kaoru gave another start when strong fingers yanked her back. She yelped in surprise when he pulled them further into the shadows. There was a possessive hold to his hands, and Kaoru winced. Apparently he was taking her for a dockside whore, which was probably what she deserved. However, it was going to take some fast thinking to get out of this situation.

"Where do you think you are going?" His words were delightfully shadowed, dark and heady to her senses. Kaoru raised wide, startled eyes to his face. His hair was red, dark and blood-hued. His eyes were golden fire, and a blood ruby sparked in his left ear. She was in the arms of a _Pirate_. Her mother had once announced that her carelessness was going to get her tossed from the pan into the fire, and she wondered if this wasn't one of those times. Fleeing from Pirates to getting trapped in the arms of another; someone upstairs had a sick sense of amusement.

"Let go." Kaoru tried, desperation echoing on her tone. She could hear the voices again, and it was likely he would toss her back into the other dark place. The iron clasp of his arms held her tight, and she thrashed against him, not expecting him to pin her to the wall as the men tore by again, his mouth hot against the pale skin of her neck. His tongue flickered against her skin, and a mewling noise fell from her mouth before she could stop it, and his mouth curved against the hollow of her throat.

She was having a hard time breathing, like she had been swimming for miles and miles and couldn't find the shore. He raised his head and moon-glow gold stared at her from lashes as black as the night. "Your name."

Kaoru jerked slightly in surprise at the demand in his tone. A name. Something that could be used to find her; he would know if she lied. She could see it in his eyes. What had she thrown herself into? The arms of a demon? "Let go," Kaoru tried again, struggling against him. Even as his mouth pressed headily against hers, the way his tongue dominated her mouth sending her knees into soft porridge, as if he could demand it from her body by his touch alone. This simply would not do...

Reacting in the manner Sano had drilled into her since she had met him, Kaoru sent him to his knees. Her knee came up, since he had pulled back slightly to demand something from her again, and she watched as he stumbled. There was something there protecting him from the worst of her blow, so she fled while she had the chance. She flew down the alleys she knew so well. She couldn't risk going back to the Tavern this night, and probably not for another few days; she would have to assume both parties looking for her would search there first. The hoarse shout of barely controlled anger and something else added an ounce of speed, and she disappeared into the night.

It didn't take long to find the cleaner alley systems, to slip into old paths used by others to confuse her tracks. Gods above, she hated the docks. When she got her hands around Sano's neck, she was going to wring it like the rooster he was.

* * *

Kenshin watched as his men finished loading the last of the supplies, his body still pulled as hard as a bow string. His body was still uncomfortably aroused from the little pixie's attentions on the dock. For a cheap whore, she had been unquestionably sweet, and that made him wonder. Most whores tasted of cheap ale and opium. She tasted like wild honey and her skin had a distinct taste of vanilla and cinnamon. For all that she was in a dress ripped and filthy, she had smelled clean, like someone used to bathing. 

Serious contradictions; perhaps she was a brothel girl going for kicks? They had the tendency to be cleaner than the dock prostitutes. Kenshin sighed, dragging a hand through his bangs and frowned at the slight scent of jasmine he could still catch on his skin. His mouth turned down, and he glared at the people who were loading cargo as quickly as they physically could. He felt something dark shiver through his skin at the idea that he wasn't going to be able to search for the girl. He was in a bad mood, and his crew knew it.

"Hey! Kenshin!" A voice straight from the past called, and Kenshin turned in surprise to see a friend of his who he had thought would have gotten himself killed years ago. "Sanosuke, what are you doing here?" Kenshin asked, some of his temper dissipating in his surprise. Sano had grown into his lanky frame. He had to be what…twenty or twenty-one now?

"I need a favor." Sano said, walking over in his nonchalant way. His mouth held the familiar fish bone, and his shoulders were set in a line that led you to think he was slouching, but really he was just giving you the ability to think he was smaller than he was. There was wistfulness in his brown eyes that surprised Kenshin.

"You know I owe you one." Kenshin replied, thinking back to the violent and disastrous way they had met. "What can I help you with?" There was a faint note of curiosity in his voice. It wasn't often someone managed to track him down, he had made sure of that.

Sano turned and gave the lingering darkness one more, wistful glance before turning back. "I need a way out of Europe. You can drop me off on any port you want, but I need to get out of here for a while." There was something flickering in his eyes that Kenshin recognized and he nodded slowly.

"In trouble again?" Kenshin asked, his arms lazily crossing across his chest, his brow arching upwards without his really thinking about it. "What did you do?"

Sano shrugged, chewing absently at the fishbone. "I helped a friend out of trouble. I was hoping she was going to show up, but apparently she isn't coming. You look like you're going to head out soon."

Kenshin nodded. "Within the hour; you can store your stuff in the bay with the rest of the men. I will drop you off where you need to go, but I have needed an instructor in the hands-on fighting department. Most of the men don't have a background with close fighting, and someone who can show them how to use and counter some of the dirty moves they might encounter would be good. Think about it." Kenshin offered. It wasn't the first time he had made the offer, but he hoped his time Sano would accept.

"I might just do that. I was hoping Jou-chan would make it." Sano mused. "If she doesn't, then I will be happy to accept a position." He smiled. "Besides, the pay is probably better anyway."

Kenshin raised a brow. "What have you been doing?"

"Believe it or not," Sano drawled as he headed to the gangplank. "I was managing a Tavern…"

* * *

Kaoru slipped back inside the Tavern, heading to gather her things and then to track down Sano and find out what she had missed the past week she had been gone. The women kept giving her funny looks, and she needed to find him fast. She had finally found someone who was willing to take them off this damn cold island and get them somewhere warm and neutral. Kaoru smiled brightly as she skipped in with her borrowed clothes. 

The pants were a little big, but they had been hemmed and straightened and tied up as much as possible, and the large shirt had been cut down as well. For now it would work. She would need to find a few more things like it, since a ship didn't allow for dresses. The wind would pick up a skirt and toss it to the winds and then where would she be? She had spent the past week remembering how to braid her hair so tight it would give her a headache, and locating what she would need to help survive on a ship of cut-throats. She didn't really mind. She could always maim them in ways that would leave them hurting for hours in locations they would probably hate to be reminded existed.

Kaoru dug through her stuff, prying up the board under the mat she slept on and dug out the golden locket her mother had given the night the boat went down. Those were vague memories, the sounds of cannon fire and the smells of gunsmoke predominate. There was a golden hind with an apple engraved in loving detail, and she secured it around her neck. She frowned slightly at the unfamiliar sight of a leather bag that jangled with quite a bit of coin when tossed around. Prying it open her mouth dropped at the sight of nearly a dozen gold coins and a piece of a receipt with what appeared to be Sano's messy scrawl. She frowned and opened it.

The coins feel from nerveless fingers and she stared at his writing like she had never seen it before. The messy scrawl was hard to decipher around her tearing eyes, but she bit down hard and did so.

_Jou-chan,_

_I got us a ship. It leaves tonight, they're planning on sailing with the dawn tides. I will be keeping an eye for you if you want to catch a lift. It's dock 51. _

_Sano_

Underneath it was the messy date that looked hurried, as if he had almost forgotten to put it. Her fingers traced it lovingly, her eyes blinking the crystal drops away from her eyes. He had sailed a week ago. Without her, the bastard, probably thinking she had changed her mind about leaving. Anger set in as quickly as her emotional outburst of waterworks.

Taking a deep breath and quickly gathering the coins before someone decided to investigate the noise, she shoved them into the bag and then shoved that into the little place between her breast bindings and her chest. The confined space would keep them from rattling, alerting muggers and pickpockets that she had gold on her. Quickly, she tossed her few good clothes into the knapsack and left the rest to the girls left to divvy up. There really wasn't anything else worth keeping, not here at least. Kaoru took one last look at the place that had housed her for the past two years and tossed the knapsack around her shoulders and headed back down the steps to the hustle and bustle of the town.

Tae was moving to some sunny isle in the Caribbean to open up a brothel. Her girls were being mistreated here, and she wanted them someplace warmer with less chance of dying in the arms of some man on a dark street. So she had hired a privateer to take them, and had offered Kaoru a place with them. Kaoru would have to come up with her own gold, but at least she could go. She had been willing to offer herself as a mender of clothing, or cabin boy, but the gold Sano had left would pay her way instead. Much safer to use it for that, too; gold would get her raped faster than prancing around naked, and that was saying something.

Kaoru went and rand down the streets, the slightly over-sized boots scraping against her sensitive calves and ankles. However, it was better than getting cut by something rusty. She didn't trust the idea that Gohei and his goons had left, and it was best if she wasn't seen. She had taken the risk of coming back because Sano would have been going back with her, and she needed that locket. It was the only thing she had left of her family, and she would risk more than a possible rape to get it back. Besides, even if she was followed she knew these alley-ways better than they ever would. She wasn't compared to a rat for nothing. She knew all the nooks and crannies and hide-holes like she knew the back of her hands.

Kaoru was panting when she made it to the dock Tae had told her to meet her and she had already dug out the coins she would need. A man had given her a very strange look when he caught her fishing into her shirt, and then leered when she was forced to loosen some ties. She hadn't really cared; as long as he kept his distance and stayed away from her then he could get a free peep show. It was worth it. She was getting off this island and getting away from these people.

Away from whatever it was that had her hunted.

* * *

Kaoru stumbled into the home that Tae insisted was theirs and looked around. Windows. High and wide, with open ceilings and wide spaces; the heat had forced the clothing to stick to her body. It was humid and bright, gods it was so bright, and beautiful. The water was warm blue instead of frigid black, and if not for the lemons Tae forced her to smear her body with over and over, her skin would hold a pale tan. 

Instead, between the lemons and the wide brimmed hat she had been forced into wearing, it was still a pale white,. She had learned early that she burned easily in the hot sun, and Tae refused to allow her to accumulate the tan she had as a child. Which wasn't much of one, because she was naturally fair-skinned. Sighing, she looked around. Tonight she would look for work and see what options she had in this place. She wasn't even sure exactly which Island they were on, just the assurance that it was neutral in the Pirate wars. Kaoru pulled her thick braid off her neck and decided to keep her hair long if only because it was easier to keep off her neck if there was enough of it to tie up.

She wished Sano was here. He would love this place, with its bright sun and exotic people. Already Tae had arranged for someone to come in and finish the language lessons she had forced them to take on the ship. A translator had agreed to teach the girls for a price, and Tae had agreed. Kaoru was getting the benefit of that, because she had offered a sort of protection for the girls on the way. Sailors had been attracted to the idea of free sex, and there had been more than one that had suffered from her emphasis on staying away. She had done nothing besides break a few fingers, but for a sailor, nothing was more painful. By the end of the trip she knew most the crew by name and had earned their respect, but she knew which ones to toss a bucket of ship-water onto after they drank too much ale. Many of the girls had to be taught to drink, because on a ship, the ale was in better shape the water.

Water lasted only so long before it wasn't drinkable, and you had to learn to handle stiff ale or rum. Kaoru had learned a long time ago to handle her drink, and had given those lessons to the girls. Simple things like offering a piece of stale bread to them at dinner to absorb the worst of its effects. How to nurse it carefully and what foods would help them keep the drink of choice down. She had held the bed-pan many nights while they emptied the dregs from dinner from their stomach. Then the sea-sickness had hit and she had dug into the stash of chamomile they had brought to clean there hair to brew a tea that had made them choke and gag, but at least they kept it down.

Kaoru sighed. It was going to be a long, very long time before she became used to the rhythm of this place, the bright colors, the splash of fire in the food. Her mouth slowly began to curve into a smile as she spun about in the empty room. Maybe she would be happy here. It wasn't so bad, once you got used to it. Perhaps here the ghost of a family she could remember no more of than her mother's smile would fade away and leave her alone.

* * *

"You have been broody since we left." Sano commented as he leaned against the railing, looking at his captain in concern. "Something happened back there in the fog of Britain?" 

Kenshin looked at his friend and snorted. "Have you forgotten who is Captain on this boat?"

Sano grinned, plucking the fishbone from his lips and twirling it between his fingers. It had been six months since they had left Jou-chan behind, and he wondered how she was making out. He hoped she would forgive him, but time had run out for him, and he had no intention of dragging her into it. He had done what he thought was best, but she would have loved it out here. One the high seas and fighting against the Spanish; hauling cargo around and living off the seas and trade; the Trade Winds were just one of the many they set their fates on. Currenlty they were docked in Barbados to pick up a doctor Kenshin had dropped off.

Their next stop was China, and the pirates there were well known for their dangers. Kenshin had thought it prudent to pick the man up. "Of course I know, but I don't like to see you like this."

Kenshin sighed. "Nothing is bothering me, Sano. At least nothing new." Six months was nothing new. Six months dreaming of vanilla/cinnamon, honey and jasmine and the mix of those three things wrapping around his brain like an endless cycle. Wash. Rinse. Repeat. His temper was snappish, because he couldn't sleep. His eyes narrowed slightly as he watched the sun begin to rise against the morning sky, and he knew his eyes were shooting sparks of agonizing gold fire. He was a man with obligations that had nothing to do with a little whore. They had gone back once, three months ago, and there had been no signs of her. Sano too had been searching for someone, his beloved Jou-chan, and both men had come back with dark expressions.

The trail was cold, and she was probably dead and broken somewhere, her hot little mouth cold with death. He would let her go, and he would not think of her anymore. This was not a game he would play. Shifting his weight, he moved away from the rail. "We sail at noon."

Sano watched him go, wondering how he could find out what was eating his captain alive. There was something lingering in the back of his eyes, and it made him wonder exactly what he was missing. A woman, perhaps? Only a woman could drive a man to such distraction. That thought made him frown as he thought about Kaoru. She hadn't been there, and there hadn't been anyone he knew to ask about her. He hoped, wherever she was, that she was okay. He had left her every shred of gold he had, some of it stolen that very night, and he hoped that it had been enough to get her on her feet.

Otherwise, whenever he died, there was going to be a very mad Raccoon waiting for him in either heaven or hell, and probably ready to kick his ass. The thought made him smile and he moved to help the men who arrived with supplies load them all up in the bay. Things were never boring around her. Once they got onto the high seas it would be time for the lessons he taught three times a week.

Maybe he would run into Kaoru soon enough. She was full of surprises, and he knew that fate wasn't done with her yet.


	2. Chapter Two

falls over and dies

I finally got this out. A big thank you to Scented Candles for looking it over for the more obvious grammatical mistakes. Hopefully this chapters meets every ones approval! Now I can go back to looking for plot-wholes in Twisted and Amber and figuring out what to do with them...

Lots of love!

Ravyn

**Warning: Violence! Drinking!** Bad things! Keep that in mind! As always, do drink responsibly!

* * *

Kaoru grabbed another plate and began to clear the table that had been cleared with the leaving of her customers, wondering how in the blazes she had ended up _here_. It was a thought that crossed her mind almost daily now, since she had been forced to leave Tae and the girls behind because of the past that refused to let her live alone. She would not endanger anyone other than herself, even if she couldn't figure out how he was tracking her or what he was after. Such was the bastard luck that haunted her. Sighing again, she dragged the dirty, stained rag around the table and headed back towards where the newest kid was washing dishes. Dumping the thick mugs into the dirty pile, she put the rag away and began filling tankards with beer and shoving the required order of mugs onto the platter.

It was going to be another long night; probably with just as little pay as the last one. Her new boss was a grabby little man who demanded a certain cut from their tips; assuming any were left, to stay in the loft above the tavern. If you were willing to pay him with your body, he took less. If you were willing to pay with your body to the sailors, your tip would increase. It was nothing really, just a fast little grope or a hand where it really didn't belong. The worst part being the stench of the sailors. Not that she could complain, she hadn't gotten a decent bath in a while but sailors had a lot of access to cool salt-water. They could at least rinse themselves off, the cads.

Kaoru sighed and looked down at her own filthy hands, grabbed the platter and hefted it. Two years of dealing with this particular way of carrying booze had strengthened muscles she had forgotten she had, and she barely even struggled to lift the heavy drinks. The problem with the brand of alcohol this place loved to serve was that it either knocked the sailors flat on their asses, or it gave them an exaggerated sense of strength, which could be dangerous. She could think of so many different fights that had ended badly because of this stuff, but Kanyruu refused _not_ to use it because of the profit it brought. The tavern was pretty much one of the only places on the mainland that served it, because Kanyruu pretty much took out the competition. She really needed a new place to work. Sighing as she dodged another set of roving hands calloused from hard work on lines and riggings, she wondered at someone's sick attempt at humor.

She missed Tae and the girls. She had worked as a bouncer of sorts during some of the daylight hours and then danced to the nearby tavern and served there for extra coin. Her savings had been enough to purchase a place on the boat to this godforsaken island, and pay Tae back, with a promise to come back one day. Jamaica. It was full of taverns and gold and other nasty things she cared not to think about. The scum that came to this place might just have been the worst of the lot and she was tired of getting her ass grabbed every time she walked by a table and learned that the more men, the more empty mugs, the more rum to be passed around; with whatever kick it was that Kanyruu used. Sighing wearily, she looked to the door as it swung open and felt the blood run from her face so fast it almost made her dizzy.

Red hair pulled into a high-tail, left ear glinting with a bright flash of ruby red, cross-shaped scar carved into the sinfully chiseled cut to his face. Eyes completely gold as they examined the riff-raff and when he moved to sit at a table, her body tensed until he had sat. Not in her ring of tables to wait on. Perhaps there were such things as small favors. She was surprised she still remembered him, and berated herself for it. It had been two years since she had used him as an escape route, and she doubted he had even gotten a good look at her face. There was nothing that would tip him of as long as she kept her back to him and kept her bangs in her face.

Moving around, she started when she felt Kanyruu call her name as the doors creaked open again, and she turned and missed where they sat. Fuck. "Yes?" Kaoru questioned, careful to keep her expression semi-respectful. The last time she had snarled at him she had been slapped. Granted, she probably could have slapped back, but he would make sure she couldn't find anywhere to work on this island if he got it into his head, and she would have no way to earn income. She wanted off this piece of shit.

"Make sure you treat our newest guests with respect and serve them the house brew. It's coming out of your tips." Kanyruu all but smiled at her, his eyes daring her to be unhappy with him. Daring her to say something; and Kaoru gritted her teeth and kept her face impassive. It just had to be one of Kanyruu's rules that when his friends came that there drinks came out of the tips of who served them. They could drain a girl from a week's worth of income without batting an eyelash, and Kaoru had seen several of the girls in tears. This was not her night. Turning around she went to see who else had entered and felt her eyes widen in shock while her lungs attempted to breathe around the ice that seemed to have lodged itself in her throat.

Gohei Hiruma was sitting there, a large, toothy smile on his face that had nothing to do with the glint in his eyes. He had seemed to only have gotten meatier since she had last seem him little over a year ago, and there was something nasty in his smile. Kaoru counted the heads on his table, realized what exactly she would be serving them, and felt sick. First the redhead was here, and now this. She really, really needed to check the status of her grace period, because she didn't have one. Biting down on the whimper that was rolling in her throat, she hefted the tray and went to work.

* * *

Misao took a deep breath and slid open the door, made sure to look around to make certain that there was no one in there. Aoshi and Kenshin had left hours ago, but one was never sure with those two. Aoshi had often wondered at her fetish with making sure all the hinges on the _Renegade_ were oiled, but if she had to use a piece of cheese, it was going to get done. The reason was because she wanted absolute silence when she was sneaking into her Captain's cabin to search for the drawings she knew he was only half-aware he was drawing. Sneaking in on silent feet, even though half the crew knew what she was doing. In fact most of them were stationed at various lookout points to see if Kenshin was coming back anytime soon.

Digging into his desk, she carefully ruffled through the papers until she came to what she was looking for. A single page with a set of wide, slightly titled eyes. They were heavily lashed and had the most gorgeous tilt to the corners. It was the expression Kenshin had attempted to capture that had proved her point. There was something in the way the eyes were lashed, heavy and limpid, that made her wonder exactly _what_ he had been doing to see such an expression. There was only the faintest sketching of a face that made Misao wonder if he could even remember it.

"Find anything?" Katsu's voice almost had her dropping the paper, which would have been disastrous, because if it was crinkled then Kenshin would know she had been in there. Scowling, she put it back and practically ran out of the room. Getting caught in here would get her into so much trouble. She shut the door carefully, because that would rattle stuff if she slammed it, and sighed as she leaned against it.

"Nothing new; just another damn drawing of those eyes of hers, you would think he would draw something else. I mean, it's been _two_ _years_ since he starting moping, you would think he would either draw her entire face, or get over it!" Misao muttered as she followed to where she was helping keep an eye on the ship. "It's so frustrating! How can we help him find her if all we have is her eyes to go on! Any woman can have that look! He won't even fill them in with those color pencils he hoards so we can guess her eye color!"

Katsu patted her head as he shrugged at Sano who looked disappointed. "This sucks!" Misao wailed. "How can we help him if he isn't giving us any help? How!"

"Stop being such a drama queen, Misao." Sano replied as he leaned against a rail. "Maybe we should let him handle this. It doesn't seem like he is actively looking for her."

Misao smacked her hand against her forehead. "This is why you never go on reconnaissance. You don't notice these things. Never mind, I can't work with Roosters. I am going to track down some bright fabric or something. I need to take my mind off the ineptitude of men." Her small booted feet stomped their way off the ship, and a small shadow, Beshimi, flitted after her.

"Can you believe him, Beshimi?" Misao voice rang back at them. "Let him handle it on his own? Like any man has the capability!"

Katsu looked at Sano and shook his head. "You poor little man; you handled that with the same expertise that you handle Megumi."

Sano's nostrils flared. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Katsu sighed. "That answers everything."

* * *

They say hell came in many forms. Kaoru could work with that. They said hell came disguised as beautiful things, and to that she waved the large white, bullshit flag. Keeping her frame in and out of the line of sight of the redhead's table was difficult, and keeping Gohei happy so she wouldn't loose her job and end up in the alley as a bloody and broken carcass was even worse. His wasn't the only table that had been drinking too many of the "house special" and she could see the effect in the dilated pupils and slurred speeches and the way the women were having a more difficult time getting out of there grasping hands. Even with the moves she had taught them on pressure points and how to break a man's grip, things were getting tense in here.

In fact, her left hand was smarting from where Gohei had attempted to pull her back towards him. She was going to pay for that the next time she headed toward him, but she would live with it, she hoped. The smoke in the place was horrid, and someone was smoking Opium, and her eyes were already feeling its effect. Several of the other girls' eyes were already glassy and Kaoru shot a dark look at her 'boss' to get some of the steam out of her blood, because things were slowly building for something very dangerous.

However, Gohei wasn't her problem at this point. She knew what he wanted, and Kanyruu was pathetically easy to buy. No, it was the man currently attempted to pull her into his lap. He had been guzzling, something you didn't do with this stuff, and wouldn't let go. His other hand was slipping around to palm her derriere and she shrieked indignantly. Grasping the tray she brought it into the underside of the man's head, and backed away. "Keep your hands to yourself!"

Turning, she glared at the man in front of her, side stepped, and flounced away, swearing the vilest words she could think of in both English and the curious mix of languages she had been forced to learn in the past two years. In her ire, she failed to notice the way a pair of eyes lingered on her as she stomped off.

* * *

"You look distracted Himura." Aoshi commented softly, sipping his ale and then putting it down. "It's laced with something."

"Probably lots of something if the way the people who are drinking it in mass quantities are reacting," Kenshin commented quietly, his eyes not leaving the woman he had just noticed. There was something familiar about her, like he had seen her somewhere before. It was tugging at the edge of his memory.

There it was again, the need to remember as she bit her bottom lip in a fit of temper and chewed viciously as she dodged more hands and stomped around. It took him a moment to place her, and it wasn't until she glared at someone, her hot eyes flashing with fury that it clicked. His spine straightened from the half-slouch he had been in, his attempt to hide into the shadows, and a smile curled across his face.

It was _her_.

Oh the past two years had been good to her. Her features had matured over time, and the baby-doll complexion had evolved into flawless porcelain that proved a stark contrast to her dark hair and highlighted the brilliant navy of her eyes. Her mouth was kiss-raw and pursed with the attempt to control her temper, and her body twisted in little bursts of sensuous curves. So this was what the girl had grown into.

So she had made it out of that dark, dank alley alive and well. Part of him told him he should be happy with that. He should let this obsession of his go, now that he knew she was well and alive. He had obligations, and those obligations made it almost impossible for him to follow up on what his body was demanding. His memory was very certain when it came to her vanilla/cinnamon skin and her honeyed mouth. Something stirred in his belly at the thought of someone else plundering her warm cavern and stealing that little mewling sound she made. He could be satisfied with what he was seeing now.

Aoshi pushed his cup away and turned to look at the woman his Captain hadn't been able to take his eyes from. He would have smirked but it would have alerted Kenshin to his knowledge. He recognized the girl as the one from London so many years ago, who had knocked them both into the alley and then proceeded to ingrain herself into Kenshin's blood even if she was unaware of it. It would be interesting to see how it played out.

* * *

Shopping was what she lived for. Touring the high seas, facing down Spanish Dogs, facing the danger of capturing holds of gold and taking them back to the Crown, all of that faded in comparison to the exotic colors of the Tropical Islands. She could indulge her sense of fashion in a way the Court of the Crown of England would frown upon. Breeches that clung to her legs, boots that arched up to her knees, plain white shirts that hid her breast bindings and flared out at her arms and bellowed in the wind as the ship crashed through the waves. Plain, ordinary, completely undefined.

Except for her scarves. Those were her only whim and she indulged it every time they came to shore. Her current favorite was the brilliant flamingo pink that tied off the end of her braid and the brilliant match that held her bangs out of her face that was wrapped as a bandana around her head, showing off her small ears and the brilliance of her eyes.

Grinning, she bounced her way along store front to store front, badgering the vendors into giving her what she wanted with the price she wanted, and clearly disturbing Beshimi. Hannya normally came with her, but Beshimi had volunteered this time so Hannya could look around the Docks for possible leads on the location of the Spanish gold ships. Misao pursed her lips as she bought a scarf and looked for more. The Silver Mines of Peru should actually be sent off a shipment soon. That was their fate…if they were ever caught. To spend a lifetime working in the mines, slowly dying from both disease and torture and lack of nourishment. Just like her brother had. It was because of cruelties like that, which had tossed her into the life of a Pirate.

She would never forget how she had ended up on the Renegade either. She had been working with a family friend who had taken her in and taught her the ways of a Pirate against his better judgment. It had either been teach her or point her to someone who would, because she was going regardless. Her carefully orchestrated story of an ailing Aunt and long voyages with her across the ocean had covered her so far, but sometimes she wondered how her luck would hold.

Then she had met Aoshi.

Her mouth curved into a smile. He didn't know it, but he was going to make an honest woman out of her eventually. He had practically kidnapped her from the ship she had been on, and after weeks of escape attempts and arguing, he had locked her in the brig with him and proven his point completely. There wasn't a lot a girl to say to that. Life on the ship was a difficult thing, as there were very few moments of privacy. As it was, she slept in one of the very small rooms off the sick bay with Megumi on a hammock. They were actually much more comfortable than the small square boxes the men slept in on the ship and the salty spray of the ship was worth it.

She was looking forward to the day where either Kenshin would scoot over in his bunk, or they would tie the third hammock she and Megumi had bought years ago up. Kenshin probably wasn't aware of his distant expression on some nights. Misao knew he had a lot ridding on his shoulders with his responsibilities as keeping both his life as the Grandson of the Earl of Brimingham and Privateer Himura Kenshin and Pirate Battousai separate. Everything was complicated among them. Some trips they carried only cargo and ran an authentic shipping business, other times they were privateers with French wigs and hysterically funny accents and boarding Tortuga and behaving like Pirates as they fought the Spanish.

"Beshimi, do you think I would look good in this color blue?" Misao asked holding up a brilliant blue scarf that was surprisingly tame compared to the orange catastrophe she had already decided to buy. Time to get past the past and get on with the future; she thoughtfully picked a few colors that she would never wear. Whenever Kenshin found this woman who was haunting him, she was going to need clothing to.

Beshimi sighed and looked mournfully at the tame hunter green scarf and simply let her choose what she wanted. She would get it anyway. "Misao, would you explain to me why you bought those boots a size to big?" He asked as she finally dragged her away from the market, managing to keep from wincing at the amount of bags he was carrying, proud that he had gotten her away from the stalls before she had spent all her money. They were lucky they were catching any of the stalls open, since the light was fading in a brilliant display of bursting colors that reminded him of the dozen or so scarves Misao had just bought.

The heavy hues of dusk were bellowing over the tropics, and Misao paused in her shopping to admire the colors. Suddenly she remembered her promise to pick up some fresh fruits and she grabbed Beshimi, her designated pack mule for the evening, and raced towards some of the stands to see what was left. Perhaps some plums, or mango, or something equally delicious…

Misao beamed at her friend. "You will see!"

* * *

"Let go." Kaoru quietly demanded attempting to twist her wrist free of the meaty fingers, panic bubbling in her throat as he pulled her closer. He smelled of ale and something darker and it hurt her senses. She was yanked forward until her face was several inches from his and she felt her up-chuck reflex kicking into high gear. "Now!"

Gohei laughed in her face, his putrid breath flashing over her face and making her stomach churn in disgust. "As much as am I sure you would enjoy that, I think not. Kanryuu has been nice enough to guarantee me your presence for the evening, so if you will kindly give me the locket, we can all go from there."

Kaoru struggled, giving up the appearance of not struggling. Screw Kanyruu, she wasn't someone who could be bought. "Like fucking hell!" Kaoru reeled back at the force of his slap, her neck snapping painfully.

Kaoru was jerked back towards him, his meaty hand pressing into the side of her face painfully. "Give it to me."

"I think you should let the lady go." The voice was hard and Kaoru looked up to see the hard mica glint in a set of amber eyes that she knew only from dreams she had attempt to convince herself never actually happened. Gohei let go of her wrist and laughed at him.

"So, the Battousai sees fit to defend a whore now, does he?" Gohei boomed, his voice thundering out loud, stopping the talk around as quickly as someone shooting off a pistol. Kaoru felt as if the air had been driven out of her lungs, and surprise snaked across her face.

Battousai. That name was known pretty much wherever you went on the seas. Very few knew what he looked like, but his ship was known for the brutality in which it took out the Spanish gold ships and killed the dreaded inquisitors. Kaoru scrambled backwards and hit the chair of a man behind her, but neither noticed. They were too busy watching as a man almost an entire head shorter than Gohei with an air of hostility. Was this really the Battousai or just one of Gohei's attempts to push the attention off of him and on to someone else?

"You should apologize to the lady." Kenshin returned, his mouth tightening into a thin line as he pronounced each word with deadly intent. There was something in his stance that worried Kaoru. If a fight started there was no telling how it would end. The men here were hyped up on alcohol and she could hear Kanyruu shifting around behind the bar. Probably looking for the gun she knew he kept stashed there. This couldn't end well.

"Like hell I will." Gohei thundered. "She has something that belongs to me, and I will get it!" He hissed. "I will have it."

Kaoru wisely kept her mouth shut as golden eyes swung to her. Kaoru noticed his hand was resting thoughtfully on the hilt of a sword, and if the hilt could be believed, then the blade looked to be Toledo in style. Shivering she continued to inch her way across the floor until someone decided to stop her.

"I got her." A voice hissed near her as she was swung up by a firm grip on her hair, and Kaoru yelped when it felt like a good chunk of hair was ripped from her skull, and she missed what happened next. However, the sounds of yelling brought her back from where her brain went when she was practically thrown forwards, and she looked up in time to see the lantern about three feet from her teeter at the impact of her body and crash to the ground.

Fire exploded around her and she ducked and curled into a ball to make herself the smallest target possible. Once the sparks stopped shooting she sat up and yelped in startled pain when her skirt caught on fire and she gritted her teeth when the heat began to sear against her skin. Kaoru managed to put out those flames, but her eyes widened in absolute horror as the flicks of red licked along to the edge of the bar. It would hit the alcohol soon. Her lips parted in horror, and she watched as Kanyruu roared something, waving his gun as other people also began to fire their weapons. Kaoru watched as an expression of surprise stuttered across his face before he fell, his finger tightening on the trigger, the gun going off…

Right into the barrels of alcohol and sparking against the wet floor; which meant in seconds the entire place was going to go as it exploded.

Kaoru almost screamed when she was hauled to her feet and jerked behind a table as the bar exploded with air shattering force. A warm body was covering hers and pressing her into the stinking, stank floor. When the roar of the flames overpowered the sounds of the explosion, she was jerked up against a hard chest and pressed into a neck to help her breath around the smoke.

"Is there a backdoor?" his voice thundered in her ear and she pointed in the direction, coughing against his chest helplessly. She didn't know how he managed to breathe around the thick, choking air. She was coughing helplessly against his neck as she attempted to pull precious oxygen from the air and then suddenly there was clean air and she was wheezing. The man holding her was staggering slightly and seemed to be sucking in the air with the same need to breath that she had. Her hands were clinging to warm muscle desperately and eventually her lungs were able to operate properly.

"Are you alright?" he breathed in her ear and gooseflesh raced across her skin in a delightful manner and she bit her lip to keep from shuddering. Her eyes rose upwards past his strong jaw and to a pair of surprisingly docile amber eyes.

"Fine," Kaoru wheezed her voice raw from the smoke. "You can put me down now."

He let her slip down his body and her breath caught and she hissed as the rough fabric of his pants caught against her burns and her eyes watered at the reminder that her pale flesh was had been seared. The next thing she knew she was on the ground and one slender calf was held in a long fingered hand as he eyed her wounds with a critical eye. "These need medical attention."

Kaoru attempted to pull her calf away but he refused to allow her. Instead his fingers ran along the pink flesh softly and she scowled at him. "Let go!" She jerked her leg again, and this time his eyes were dark with amusement.

"I believe that we have had this conversation before. It ended with me asking for your name, which I don't believe I ever got from you." He softly replied, easily holding her leg without hurting her.

"I didn't give it then, I won't give it now." Kaoru returned right back. "If you don't mind, I would like to go now."

He nodded slowly. "Leaving is a good idea." He let go of her and Kaoru sighed in relief but swore in surprise when she was picked up again, cradled against his chest carefully.

"Hey! What do you think you are doing?" Kaoru demanded as she was carried away. She would have struggled, but wiggling against him wasn't something she really relished and he had already proven that trying was futile. Luckily the water here was warm enough that she could jump ship and swim to shore.

"You need medical attention, and luckily I have a doctor on board my ship. These burns _will_ be tended to." Kenshin replied softly, shifting her closer against him. The scent of her hair, under the splash of ale and the smoke, held the faintest lingering of jasmine. He was tempted to trace the curve of her neck with his tongue to see if she still had the under taste of vanilla/cinnamon and he was thankful when he would see the outline of the docks approaching.

"I can get medical attention just fine!" Kaoru argued. "I am more than capable of walking as well. You can put me down!" Really, this whole damsel in distress thing bothered her almost as much as the warmth of his body did. Her mouth was pursing into a frown and she glared at him. "You are aware of how improper this is!"

"I believe," He replied teasingly, "That my reputation paints me as both a rogue and a rake. I don't see how that could bother me."

Fear, the kind that closed up her throat, forced her to scowl. Battousai. She had forgotten that. How dare he kidnap her and then attempt to scare her with his name and then tease her? Her teeth gritted together tightly. "You," Kaoru hissed, "Are a cad!"

"You may call me Kenshin." He continued as if she hadn't spoken and easily carried her up the gangplank. "Megumi is the doctor who will tend to your burns. I know they must be painful so she will most likely have something to numb the pain as well."

Kaoru felt like hitting him. "I can find my own medicine, make it to my own doctor, and walk on my own just fine!" Kaoru hissed as she was carried into the belly of the ship and set onto a bed. The woman who was counting bandages looked up in surprise and then became serious when she caught sight of Kaoru's legs.

"Kenshin! What did you do this time?" Her voice was mocking as she came over. There was a bit of distaste in her expression as she glared at the man. She was examining her legs before Kaoru could protest and making sympathetic noises. Kaoru watched as she walked over and mixed a few things and dropped dollop of honey into the mixture and then poured it all into a glass.

Kaoru stared at the glass shoved into her hands with something like bemusement and shook her head. "I don't…" The cup clicked against her teeth as the woman all but dumped the contents down her throat and Kaoru coughed and sputtered as the liquid drained into her lungs instead of her stomach. Kaoru had seen other doctors on ships perform a similar maneuver to make unwilling sailors swallow their medicine, and the scowl on her face got darker.

Megumi smiled at the angry woman and pulled out some ointments. "These might sting, but the medicine should be taking effect soon." She continued without pausing. "Kenshin, were you burned at all?"

Kaoru continued to scowl but slowly noticed that the pain where Megumi was rubbing salve wasn't there anymore. Her eyes, in fact, were even starting to droop. Kaoru sat up with a bit of difficulty from where she had slump against the wall and glared. "What did you give me?"

Megumi shrugged. "Sleep is the best thing for a burn. Besides, you have very dark circles under your eyes and you need the rest." Her tone was completely unrepentant and Kaoru yelped in protest. "It's the best thing for you. Now accept your situation like a good girl."

"That's unfair." She snarled at her, struggling against the warm fuzzy feeling that was coursing through her veins and smoothing out her muscles. She ignored Kenshin's amused smile and blinked rapidly against the urge to curl up into a ball and sleep. There was something very nice about sleep and strong hands were pushing against her shoulders as she mentally resisted the pull of sleep.

"Not…fair…" Kaoru murmured as she felt the hands smoothing the bandages at her calves and the words they were saying became fuzzy mumblings.

"She should be out for a few hours." Megumi calmly reported as she tied the last one off. "Now explain to me why I just drugged a helpless civilian." There was a bite to her tone, but Kenshin had learned there was always a bite to the woman.

"Gohei was after her. It's not safe for her here. It's just until we can get her to the next port, and I doubt she would have come willingly." Kenshin replied calmly, unfazed by the dark look the Doctor was giving him. "It's for the best, Megumi."

"Are you sure this is about the girl, or is it about your need for revenge, Captain?" Megumi asked. "The fact that Gohei is after this girl could mean a lot of things, not the least being that her involvement with you can get her into even more danger!"

Kenshin leveled her with a dark glance. "I am aware of that. However, there is nothing left for her here, the Tavern she worked at burned down and she needed medical care. You will treat her wounds, and we will set sail at the next tide." Kenshin gave Kaoru's peaceful face one last glance before disappearing.

Megumi pursed her lips as she listened to Kenshin snap orders from where she finished dealing with the girl's wounds. There were serious bruises she also applied salve to, the worse being the bruise forming on her pale face. Megumi frowned at the handprint that was across the girl's face. The boat rocked gently in the harbor and she sighed. She hoped he knew what he was doing. They didn't have time for charity cases. Between Kenshin's double life and driving need for revenge against a ghost, this had the potential to be very, very messy.

She watched the girl sigh in her sleep and felt her mouth arch in the beginnings of a smile. It also had the possibility to very, very right. Megumi doubted the Captain was aware of the way he watched the girl's every movement or the slight wince of pain as she stifled her own. No, there was more to this than revenge, and she Megumi swore she was going to corner Misao and find out what she had missed those months on Barbados.

Then she would decide how she was going to handle it.


	3. Chapter Three

Yes, yes, this had taken a long time coming. My apologies. Hopefully the next chapter won't take as long (snot of disblief) but I will try. The next story that is on my list to updated is of course, Twisted. Then hopefully I can get Amber Linings to work with me. Once again, doubtful, but I am trying! I hope you guys enjoy this next chapter of High Seas Adventure.

Ravyn

Remember, I do NOT own Kenshin.

No Lime or Lemon in this chapter. Damn.

* * *

Misao frowned as she twisted her booted feet into the rope, working to clear the rigging from the lines of mast that had caught, the dagger clenched between her teeth damp from her tongue. It wasn't difficult work, in fact she had been climbing the rigging before she could swim, and that was unusual enough in and of itself. Most sailors were horribly superstitious. If you didn't know how to swim, then you wouldn't need to use it. In fact, on clear, open days like today; if they were docked, they would lower a canvas into the water to let most of the crew splash around.

She was getting distracted again. Aoshi would have her head, so she took one hand from what she was doing, finished cutting the ropes, and slid the knife back into her boot sheath. Then she climbed down as quick as she could, her mind drifting to the rumors that had been going around the ship all day.

The Captain had brought home a girl. Misao was hopeful that it was _the girl_ but her brain went over the facts, and she doubted it. However, her enthusiasm that her Captain might have finally found a woman to claim as his own slightly over powered the bitter taste it left in her mouth. The fact that he would settle for someone below the woman he had been fantasizing about for years…

"Sagara!" Misao bellowed. "Smooth that backstay! I refuse to be cornered for it. Katsu, get your ass in gear and get those lines tightened. This is a ship, men, and so you shall treat her delicately!"

Sano rubbed a hand through his spiky hair and gave her a surprised look. "What bit you last night? I mean, besides Aoshi?"

Misao scowled at him.

"Or is that the problem?" Sano asked, spitting into his hand and smoothing down some frayed edges of rope, his countenance suggesting that he was still sleeping even though he was making all the proper motions. "I don't think I have this "up with the sun" bullshit down yet."

Katsu paused from where he was retying the leather thong that held his mane of black hair away from his face, his expression amused. "I doubt you understand that on this ship, you're sleeping in. I know for fact that our illustrious captain was up two hours ago, of course that could have had something to do with the girl downstairs…"

Misao's expression darkened slightly and there was a set to her mouth that suggested she was upset about something. Something that she couldn't name and didn't want to name. It wasn't hurt per se, but it was something else; like when you found out you had gotten china set instead of the pony.

Her frown increased as Sano and Katsu continued with there joking, but at least they were doing something semi-productive and helping the men let loose the canvas so that it could bellow in the morning breeze, allowing them to make headway against the ocean. Misao walked over to the edge, grasped a rope and jumped up to balance on the railing, letting the salt-breeze tug at her hair. Her braid wiped around her delicate body and she grudgingly allowed herself a smile.

The ruckus from the stairwell drew her attention as the dawn light crept past the clouds and lit up the water with its brilliant colors.

* * *

Kaoru awoke with the knowledge that wherever she was, it wasn't right. Blinking wide eyes in the dark room, she sat up, her body's movements causing whatever she was in to swing back and forth dangerously. Hands going out immediately to grasp the edges, she heard the sounds of something moving around before light sparked brilliantly. Kaoru shielded her eyes away from the lantern, and blinked until her sensitive eyes adjusted to the dark.

"Good morning." Megumi's voice softly lilted into the now lit room. "How are you feeling?"

Kaoru took several moments to register the questioned before she stretched her skin and winced slightly. It felt like her skin was too tight for her body, like a bad sunburn perhaps, but still painful. "Better." Lying was something she had gotten good at the past few years.

"Well, I have some more salve to put on it, this time it should work to kill the pain. After that, let's get some clothes on you and get you out in the sunshine." Megumi continued. '_Because if I don't get you out there, the crew is going to tear my quarters apart!_' She undid the bandages on the girl's legs and was satisfied with what she found. They would be a little tender for the next few days, but only one spot was going to give her trouble beyond that and it was nothing her salve couldn't take care of. It was just a stronger version of the stuff she gave out for sunburns.

Kaoru was quite and Megumi frowned as she set about locating clothing that would fit the small woman. She ended up finding a pair of breeches she had cut down for the cabin boy Yahiko and they fit along her hips and backside well enough, but were large enough not to brush against her calves. She would have to get her hands on some of the men's pants to cut down for her. The shoes she gave the girl had fit comfortably but she would need new ones. Megumi vaguely remembered Misao dumping packages into some corner of the room and decided to look around see what she had bought. Kaoru had brushed and braided her hair without Megumi's prompting and then they were walking out of the personal quarters and moving up the steps to the deck.

The sea-breeze was a bit cool but Kaoru enjoyed the salt spray dancing across her skin for a moment before she opened her eyes. She hadn't gotten a good look at the ship the night before, and even to her untrained eye she could see that the lines were clean and smooth and that the sails were playfully snapping in the wind as they caught the wind and shot them through the blue-water.

"So you're the girl the Captain brought in!" A voice she hadn't heard in years teased from behind her. Kaoru's eyes widened and she slowly turned and met a pair of laughing brown eyes that suddenly were very, very startled. They stared at each other for a long moment and Kaoru almost missed the two people who stood next to him, starring at her with wide eyes. Instead she concentrated on the fact that he wasn't an allusion brought on by to much medications in a short time span.

"Sanosuke?" Kaoru finally managed her voice a bit thin as she stared at him. He suddenly grinned and picked her up, spinning around and drawing far too much attention to them. She would have preferred to be ignored for as long as Kenshin was going to highjack her! She barely caught a glimpse of surprised faces before he set her down on her feet and beamed at her.

"Wh…" his words were cut off as her dainty fist caught him in the jaw, following through just like had spent hours telling her. Sano crumpled like a sack of potatoes and Kaoru snarled at him while she shook her fist, swearing through clenched teeth. Sano stared at her from the ground with a blink and a shake of his head, one hand rising to cup his suddenly aching jaw. "What was that for?" he managed, surprise and pain in his voice.

Kaoru pulled herself up to full height. "What was that for? What _was_ that _for_? With the way you left? How dare you ask me that question you addled brain rooster! I aught to hit you again!" She shouted glaring at him furiously. Sano stared at her a grin slowly rising on his face as he stared at her familiar, furious expression.

"Now don't take it like that!" Sano argued from where he stayed seated on the floor, his smile disappearing when it twinged his jaw. "I left you money!" His voice was rising as well slight annoyance beginning to spark in his eyes. Kaoru ignored the two who were staring at them with wide eyes, and the new heads that bounced forward to watch from behind corners; there eyes were darting back and forth between her and Sano. Kaoru was trying to decide if she should go ahead and hit him again or kick him in the shins. He still deserved both!

"What," a voice that's decidedly male tones she was rapidly learning to dislike, asked quietly. "Is going on here?" the edge of authority that had made her teeth clench the night before was right back were it belonged and she didn't like it. Men like this were the type she avoided. Kaoru turned and glared at the red-head and crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. Sano spoke before she could but at least it kept her from saying something that would get her hand fed to the sharks.

"She punched me!" Sano muttered as he stood up, brushing himself off. "But I forgive her." His tone suggested that he still didn't understand why she was angry with him. He was grinning openly though, and that just annoyed Kaoru even more.

"You deserved it!" Kaoru spat out. She emphasized her distaste with several well chosen words that had Sano's eyes widening. Out of the corner of her mouth she watched as Kenshin's mouth kicked up at the corner but there was no amusement in his eyes. She ignored him. Besides forcing him to put her on some island she didn't want to have anything else to do with him.

"You didn't' knows those the last time we were together." He complained a scowl on his face. "I should find whoever taught you to swear and hurt him."

There was another frozen silence.

"You two _know_ each other?" Kenshin asked his tone soft. There was an edge in his eyes that made her feel decidedly uncomfortable, and she didn't care for the emphasized hiss to his voice. Kaoru was about to say something when Sano started babbling.

"Not like that! Jeez man! It's just Jou-chan!" Sano attempted his voice frigid in horror. Kaoru turned and gave him a dark look. Glaring at her long time best friend she hissed at him. While she didn't mind the funny Japanese words he had picked up from sailor's that had come in, he delighted in using them against her, that didn't mean she enjoyed being considered "just Jou-Chan" after spending three years thinking he was dead! She took a step forward as if she was going to hit him again.

"Just Jou-chan? You drop me like a bad load of dirty laundry you…" her teeth clicked together as she caught herself and attempted to get her temper under control. She crossed her arms across her chest and settled her face into a look that should have reduced him to a pile of boneless mass of nothing. "You're in so much trouble Sanosuke Sagara!"

Sano turned and grinned at Kenshin. "When did Jou-chan get hired on?"

Kaoru snorted. Could he really be that much of an idiot? "I'm not." She gave the captain a look even darker than the one she pinned on Sano. He just seemed amused by it and she forced herself to calm down and it took a visible effort. "Someone decided to add "kidnapping" to his list of piracy."

Sano jerked. "You're…" he turned to look at Kenshin. "So why did you kidnap her?"

Kenshin raised a brow and the look he gave Sano clearly reminded him that he wasn't used to be questioned, and Kaoru itched to kick his knees out from under him so he would crack his knees on humility. She was just thankful that all of her travel had given her an iron stomach and she wasn't feeling the effects of the pitch of the ship.

"She is here because Gohei was after her." Kenshin quietly informed him, his voice suggesting he leave it at that.

"Gohei!" Sano said with a scowl and Kaoru suddenly realized outside her own personal feelings for the slobbering barbarian, that these men hated him more. There was a shift in the air, a turning of amusement to dark fury in a second. "Again? I thought after you destroyed the ligaments in his sword hand he would have left you alone Jou-chan." Sano said turning. "It's a good thing you got her out of there then." That was directed at Kenshin and Kaoru decided right then that she was going to kill Sano. Slowly. At knife point.

Kaoru crossed her arms and jutted her chin out stubbornly. "This isn't the place to talk about it and your still in trouble with me!" Kaoru reminded him fiercely. She hoped that her locked was still tucked into her shirt and not causing any unnecessary attention. She just had a guilty conscious that was all.

"How are your burns?" Kenshin asked, ignoring the interaction between the two and watching her with a heavy-lidded, amber-eyed expression that would have curled her toes if she had any reason to be attracted to him. The memory of a dark ally sprang to mind but she mentally jumped up and down on it.

"There fine." Kaoru informed him stiff lipped. "They would have been fine if you had left me there!"

Kenshin curled the edges of his mouth up in something that sent a flicker of flame to burning low in her belly but she ignored it and turned back to Sano. She noted that most of the onlookers had left now that the fight was over. He was dark look. "Burns? Why are you burned? You generally know how to avoid fire." His tone was defiantly bringing up her cooking experiences and she snarled at him.

Kaoru ran a hand through her bangs in utter frustration as she attempted to find a way to get out of this situation. Either that or she was going to blow a vein in her temple because her blood was pounding in her ears. "Sano I really don't think this is the place!"

Kenshin shrugged. "I want both of you in my cabin. You can play catch up once we get in there." He turned and began walking back to where she guessed his cabin and she felt the urge to find something and hit him in the back of the head with it. Her breathing was harsh in her ears and Sano let out a low whistle.

"He really got under your skin didn't he?" Sano asked. Kaoru hit him all the way to Kenshin's quarters, yelling the vilest things she could at him while attempting to put a dent in his thick skull.

Misao turned to grin at Katsu as they went back to what they were doing. They went and checked on Aoshi, who was in charge of the Wheel when Kenshin was occupied in other locations. "It's her! I was so worried." She danced as she skipped towards her lover, wrapping her arms around his waist and appreciatively breathing in the scent of his skin mixed with sea-salt. "He found her!"

Aoshi didn't say anything, but Misao didn't expect him to. He hadn't actively participated in Misao's search for Kenshin's "dream" woman but he had never attempt to discourage it either, so Misao considered him an accomplice. Although he didn't know about her peeking at Kenshin's drawings, and she doubted she would ever tell him. Unless, of course, he got creative with her handkerchiefs again…

"Are you sure?" Katsu asked as she stood there, the wind teasing his own braided hair. There was great deal of amusement in the man's eyes and Misao scowled at him. Frowning she looked up at her lover and batted her long, feathery lashes.

"It is her!" Her voice was pitched with the slightest whine that made both men grin, although only one showed it visibly.

"It is." Aoshi agreed but even as his wife squealed and demanded answers he refused to give away any more information than that and he refused to acknowledge that Misao was punching Katsu in the arm irritably, for doubting her judgment. Some things were just better left ignored.

* * *

Kenshin wasn't sure what he was going to say to the pair once they entered the cabin, but he had the feeling he was going to have to separate them like a pair of toddlers. There was a glint in Karou's eyes that said she was furious with the world. His mouth curved upwards at the thought of her temper and he made no attempt to hide his amusement as they entered his private quarters. Sano at least remembered to shut the doors behind him.

"Sit," he ordered quietly. Sano did as he was told; knowing the rules, but the girl took a moment to look around. He suspected her of doing it deliberately and kept his tongue as he finally took her seat.

"First," Kenshin softly informed them. "I will not have you two acting in such a manner on my deck again. You both can swab it the next time it comes to blows. If you insist on acting like children I will treat you like such."

The girl narrowed her thickly lashed eyes at him, the blue darkening into an almost-black, but miraculously she held her tongue. Sano had the decency to look slightly ashamed.

"Man, I'm sorry Kenshin. We just got caught up in the moment again." Sano lightly said looking faintly embarrassed. "I didn't think."

The girl snorted. "Speak for yourself. I knew exactly what I was doing when I hit you."

As much as he admired her spark, he was not going to let this argument keep them from what he really wanted. Which was information. "That's enough," Kenshin softly warned and Kaoru glared at him.

"Now, before we figure out exactly what we are going to do with you, little thief," Kenshin drawled her name in a way that had her teeth clenching, "I want to know why Gohei was after you."

Her stomach erupted into a fuzzy explosion of nerves. "I don't know." The lie fell easily from her tongue and she forced herself not the flinch as he stared at her.

"Is that so?" He questioned lightly, never taking his eyes from her face. "Because I would have to accuse you of lying."

Kaoru shrugged at him. "You have already kidnapped me, humiliated me. I doubt that making comments against my character is going to be anything new." There was an edge to her words as she met his barbed words with her own. "_Captain_."

Kenshin's eyes narrowed. Before he could say anything Sano jumped in.

"Wasn't Gohei giving you problems before we left England?" Sano asked softly. "You were always vague about what he wanted back then as well." Sano frowned and tapped the arm of the wooden chair he sat in. "That's right…he was the reason you wanted to run…."

Kaoru refused to look at either man. Instead she picked a picture on his wall, a gorgeous pencil drawing of a ship she didn't recognize, and refused to show any sign of anything as they questioned her.

"You might as well talk." Kenshin told her softly. "Gohei is a man who, alone, is not dangerous. However, he has several people backing him in the Royal Courts and is a dangerous foe because of that."

Kaoru glared at him. "For a Pirate you sure know a lot about the Court."

Kenshin offered her a lazy, predatory smile. "I make it my business to know. Let's look at it this way. You're nothing to them. You a single wench in the middle of the ocean with someone of Royal blood chasing you and when he finds you, no one is going to care. They will, at the most, lock you into the Tower until you give him what he wants. If you're lucky. You can be accused of many things, and men like Gohei will use there power to take it whatever it is they can from you."

Kaoru glared at him. "You speak as if I don't know these things." There was a bite in her voice and Kenshin sensed the vulnerability in her face and voice and kept going.

"Then, perhaps, you should accept the offer I am giving you. I can't help you unless you tell me what he wants."

Kaoru shrugged. Her eyes were cast away from him again and he felt a surge of impatience and was about to snap something when Sano reached over and tugged her braid and said something so soft that Kenshin couldn't catch it. The reaction it created in the girl was interesting. Her back stiffened so that it looked like her spine was going to snap with the strain and her chin jutted just enough to give her the impression of regality. Then she wilted.

Her hand went behind her hair and then something was sailing at his head. Kenshin caught it on reflex and he frowned as he opened his palm. Sitting there was a small locket. The engraving was simple enough, and from what he could tell, there was nothing special about it.

"What is this?"

"It was my mothers." Kaoru informed him testily. "It's what Gohei wants. I don't know why. But, once he caught sight of it, he has been chasing me for years."

He opened the locket and found nothing inside except the picture of a dark hard man with blue-eyes that look familiar. He guessed this was her father. There was nothing else there. However, he could see where she got her stubborn brows. "I will keep this and make a drawing." He didn't ask and if the outraged look on her face said anything, she was furious for it.

"Hey now, Kaoru," Sano informed her. "It's not like he can take off with it. Where stuck on this boat together. You can always get it back from his later. "

'_Kaoru_,' Kenshin realized. '_Her name is Kaoru_.' He stared at the way she swatted at Sano's hands when he attempted to ruffle her already wind-blown hair. 'It suits her.'

"Sano, have the men put up an extra hammock in Megumi and Misao's chamber. She will sleep there. Also, have someone find her something she can cut down. She needs more than one pair of clothing. We can have Megumi or Misao find her something next time we dock." He stood, suggesting the meeting was over.

"And what," Kaoru demanded, standing as well. "Do you really expect me to just live off this damn boat until you decided to drop me off somewhere?"

Kenshin gave her a lazy look. "In fact, yes." The girl gave a outraged gasp. "Once I have decided that the threat Gohei presents you is dealt with then I will drop you off on some island. Perhaps Barbados…Megumi has contacts there. If your swearing says anything you Castilian isn't bad and they can always use tutors." He gave her an amused look. "Unless you would prefer to go back to being a wench."

Her mouth thinned and her eyes flashed at him, brining a flush to her pale skin and he admired the contrast as Sano laughed and took her forearm in his and dragged her out of the cabin.

Kenshin sat back in the chair, pulling out a clean sheet of paper and picking up one of his pencils. He stared at the locket for long moments, thinking about how things were fixing to change. He closed his eyes and let a smirk cross his face. He leaned back for a moment and enjoyed the sounds of the commotion he could hear outside.

Things were going to liven up.

It would keep his crew on there toes.

* * *

Kaoru allowed Sano to drag her only as far as the railing before she jerked out of his hold and winced. The escape had tugged on the burns on her legs and she needed a moment so she could ignore the paint they brought. She had been hiding it behind her anger, and she was thankful she had done such a good job.

That man infuriated her.

"Hey, your alright, Jou-chan?" Sano asked her softly and Kaoru nodded her head, hding behind the length of her bangs. He would always be able to tell how she was feeling if he saw her eyes. It was likely that he would read into her deceit _because_ she was hiding, but it was a chance she had to take.

"He said something about setting me up a hammock?" Kaoru asked. She hadn't slept in a hammock sense she was a child and was actually looking forward to it. Once she let go of her furry for being dragged aboard ship and being treated like a child, she could enjoy the salt-spray and the feel of the ways under her booted feet.

She had always loved the open sea. This was no exception. It wasn't the sea she was anger at, but the situation that had put her there. Following Sano as he lead her around she allowed the men who she passed to give her curious looks, pretending she didn't notice them. How could they not be curious? She had been dragged aboard ship by there apparently beloved Captain, punched one of there possible mess-mates, and was now being lead around by a smiling Sano.

If she was confused she couldn't imagine how they felt.

She was lead back down the stairs that lead to the lower deck and taken back into the infirmary. Which she discovered wasn't really the infirmary. It was the private holding of the woman doctor that Kenshin kept on board who gave Sano such a dark glance that Kaoru wasn't sure why he didn't just melt. It was the hard look in her friend's eyes and the faint, furious blush that stained his tanned skin that had her opened mouthed.

"Kenshin said to set her up a hammock. She bunks with you and Misao." Sano told her in a voice Kaoru had never heard from him before. Lazy arrogance that was colored with same tones that Kenshin had used on her…maybe she should have kicked him.

"Of course," the woman responded easily. "It's either here or with your smelling brutes. I doubt she could abide by your stench long enough to explain why she wasn't sleep. Either that or your snores." She gave Kaoru a look. "Good. You don't seem to be suffering from Sea sickness."

Kaoru blinked. "Um…no, I have done a bit of traveling…" the door flew open and small girl stalked in. Her eyes were large and laughing and she opened her mouth to complain or say something when they landed on Kaoru. Sano made some noise in the back of his throat when the girl broke into a wide smile.

"So you're the girl!" Misao cheered as she walked over and offered her hand in a bright smile. "My name is Shinomori Misao! Welcome to the _Renegade_ and I hope you enjoy your stay! I am so glad to finally have another female on the ship." She practically bounced to wear Megumi was struggling to unfold another hammock.

"Hey, behemoth! Get over here and put this thing up!" Misao ordered as she shoed Megumi away from the bolt-ties that hung from the ceiling to allow them to hang the hammocks. Sano sighed but did as he was ordered.

"Misao is the second mate to the captain," Sano explained as he set the third hammock up. "Her husband, Aoshi, is First Mate."

Kaoru frowned. "If her husband is here…why does she share this place with Megumi?"

"Damn good question!" Misao informed her as she danced around. "I asked it myself when Aoshi told me I wasn't sleeping with him. Only the captain gets private quarters and Aoshi doesn't share well. I don't mind. When we dock he always takes me out for dinner or at least gets leave to spend the night somewhere other than the ship. There is the occasional time when we have ship leave but such is life." She shrugged and beamed when Sano got the hammock covered.

"You had best get out there soon, Sano." Misao informed him. "They are about ready to begin arms training." Her voice was calm but Sano nodded and slipped out the door. Misao and Megumi exchanged a look and Kaoru wondered at the expression on the lady doctor's face.

"So," Megumi tried, her voice oddly strained. "You said you travel a lot? Is that how you met Sanosuke?"

Kaoru paused from where she was watching Misao suddenly toss about brightly colored pieces of fabric that threatened to blind her in the dim light. She stopped attempting to figure out how the colors would look in bright Sunlight and turned to face the woman who was acting like the question was a simple, casual observation.

"Yes," Kaoru said slowly. "My father…owned his own ship. My memories of him are good, but mostly small things. He used to take me traveling with him, after my mother died, and when he came down with a wasting fever…we docked in Europe. I ran into Sano about a week before my father died." Kaoru absently played with the ends of her braid. She shrugged and hid the aching pain the memory of her beloved father wasting away in his bed from her memory. "Sano found me three days after the funeral. He took me and became something of an older brother. We traveled around a lot together, until we were separated a few years ago."

Misao bounded over and shoved some duller fabrics in her hand. "I remember that! Sano sulked for weeks about not having his precious 'Jou-chan' on board with him. I believe he said your name was Kaoru?"

Kaoru nodded. Megumi had remained silent and Misao winked at her, and Kaoru wondered at the sign. Then she was being dragged outside. "I'm going to introduce her to the crew so they don't think she is prisoner or something. See you at in the mess hall Megumi!"

Kaoru blinked rapidly at the bright sunlight that action brought and then found herself dragged on a whirlwind of introductions that generally was commenced by a serious of explicits, orders, and the absent reminder of who she was. The only introductions that seemed to have been important was to the Helmsman (who was apparently also the first mate) Aoshi. He was Misao's husband and perhaps the only man who she had ever met who rivaled Sano in size. The way his ice-blue eyes had taken her still left her feeling a little cold.

Then she had meet here on-board cook, a woman named Sae who hinted at the fact that she also took care of Kenshin when made it back to his…home. A boy named Yahiko who was the new cabin boy and who had called her busu within the first few moments of meeting her. She had also met Katsu, Kenshin's demolitions expert, and a handful of other names she just couldn't keep track of.

Kaoru was thankful when she was led to a small alcove and handed a bowl of still hot soup. The bread was slightly stale, but better than anything she had had in weeks, so she didn't complain as she ate everything. Soon there were several people taking advantage of the warm sunshine and peaceful day to sit outside in the slight breeze instead of cramming into the mess hall.

"I have to give you credit," Katsu told her as he blinked eyes that were watering. "You're eating Sae's soup without blinking. That takes work. She loads it down with spices to hide the fact that we haven't restocked in a while."

Kaoru blinked as she took another bite. There was a definite kick to her food, but she had lived in warmer climate for the past three years. In the heat food started to decay faster and lost most of its flavor, so spices were something you had to learn to live with or you would go insane. "Why didn't you restock at the last port?"

Sano swallowed. "We were hunting Gohei. Kenshin prefers to make planned restocking trips so that we can replace everything. The next port I think is out next location. If we tried to restock while chasing after a fucking Spaniard or even Gohei, then we would probably end up with fewer supplies than what we have now."

Katsu grinned. "Plus there is the side-business to keep in mind."

Kaoru raised her brows but Sano kicked him, quite visibly, and Katsu's mouth shut. Kaoru pretended that she hadn't noticed, but Misao was quite visibly rolling her eyes and muttering something in various dialects under her voice. Kaoru could only wonder at the girl's mood. Misao seemed to be like a toy she had as a child, you spun the handle over and over until the little clown popped out.

She wondered at the amount of energy it took to actually have the small woman to pop.

Kaoru stood. "Anyone else finished?" She offered quietly, motioning to her bowl with one hand. It was far to ingrained in her to take care of other peoples dishes and to refill cups for her to be able to ignore it now.

Kaoru walked back down the steps, easily balancing several bowls and one small flask that Katsu had asked to be cleaned out. Apparently it had one held a bit of ale, but they had gotten some fresh water on there trip. Kaoru knew she should enjoy it while it lasted, because water was hard to keep fresh on a boat. The barrels of rum and ale weren't for selling or bartering with local merchants, but a very important part of ship life.

If you couldn't hold your drink, you didn't belong. It wasn't the best thing to drink, but you had to keep some sort of fluid down you and out in the middle of the ocean sometimes when the water ran bad it was the only thing out there.

Kaoru was surprised when she almost crashed head long into the boy who was coming up the stairs and smiled at him as she dodged and twisted, so that everything remained perfectly balanced.

"What were you're going ugly!" Yahiko snarled, and Kaoru snorted.

"I would be careful, brat. Someone might accidentally knock you up the side of your head." Kaoru warned him as she safely made it down the stairs.

"I'm not scared of an old hag!" He returned as he raced out the hatch and into the sunlight.

Kaoru felt her temper flicker but forced it down. He would find out on his own.

* * *

"We're being followed." Aoshi warned him, leaning lazily in the door jam. "We can probably keep ahead of them for another few days, assuming our luck holds."

Kenshin looked up. "The winds are dying."

Aoshi shrugged. "If we are caught dead in the water, so are they. At least we won't have to worry about them then. We have the faster vessel but they are going to be impatient. If they thought they could do it, I don't doubt that they would row there way over here."

Kenshin stood and walked to the small globe that set on his desk. "How far are we from the neutral waters?"

"Far enough that this could be a problem," Aoshi easily replied.

Kenshin sighed. "Once the winds pick up, let the men know we are expecting an attack. Drop a note to Sae that everyone needs to be eating citrus, I don't want anyone coming down with scurvy or anything else that would give them a man advantage."

Aoshi was quite. "Would you're sudden worry have something to do with our new cargo?"

Kenshin was quite for a moment. "Not entirely."

'_The girl then_,' Aoshi mentally added but simply nodded, gave a haunting court bow, and slipped out the door.

'_At least we won't be board_.'

* * *

Alright. There it is. dances Anyway, thank to all those who reviewed the past two chapters. You guys make my day! Once again, between my schedule and poor J.D.'s schedule, this is not edited. Just be patiant and the proper beta-ing will occur!


	4. Chapter Four

I apologize deeply at how long it has taken me to get this chapter out. Unfortunately, this story just stalled out at about one page in. Thankfully several friends (I see you Neko!) bashed my brains in until I got off my tush and worked on it. So here it is.

A thank you to _Shira's Song_ for looking over this for me and catching most of the mistakes!

Ravyn

Warning: Violence.

Disclaimer: I do not own the RK characters.

* * *

Misao walked into the kitchen and stared as she recognized the dark hair tied up with the muted color of her barrowed scarf. She was sitting at the tiny, knife scarred table with a bowl propped up on her knees. "Please," Misao said in surprise. "Tell me you are not about to eat what I think you are about to eat?" 

Yahiko looked up from where he was carefully feeding clumps of coal into the little furnace. "She is," there was an almost admiring tone to his voice. "Can't think of why she would want to." He shook his head.

Kaoru rolled her eyes and blew on the soup a little more before spooning up a mouthful and sighing in bliss. It was so hot that little tears well into her eyes but she took another bite gamely. It burned a river of fire down her throat, leaving her mouth on fire but it was so good. "What do you put in this?" Kaoru asked reverently as she wiped her eyes and obediently took a bite of the bread in front of her. "It's wonderful!"

Sae smiled with dimpled pleasure. "I am glad you like it." She sniffed over at Yahiko who snorted and then started violently sneezing thanks to the coal dust. "Yahiko, how many times have I told you to wear something over your face? Doctor Megumi says breathing in a lot of that dust is bad for you."

Misao rolled her eyes and looked back at Kaoru. "You really like that stuff?" She made a face when Kaoru nodded her head happily, chewing the bits of bean and meat that floated in the thick broth. "I can't believe it. The only other two people who will touch that pot is Kenshin and Aoshi. Kenshin seems to enjoy it, and I had hoped it would get a reaction from my lover." She sighed. "Of course, the only thing that seems to get a reaction out of Aoshi is if you…"

Kaoru watched as Yahiko deliberately kicked the bucket over, blocking out the words to whatever Misao was going to say. The small woman turned and glared at Yahiko, who in turn stuck his tongue out at her. It contrasted with the dark smudges on his face and Kaoru set about finishing her bowl of soup to block out the noise. It also helped hide her smile of amusement.

Setting her now empty bowl down she smiled at the cook. "That was wonderful," she told her with a smile, picking a one of the papaya muffins that the pirates had been fighting over at dinner the night before. Even cold the next day they were delicious. "Where do you guys keep all the supplies, anyway?"

"In the hold." Yahiko said in a disgusted voice. "Don't you know anything about being on board a ship?"

Kaoru glared at him. "I have never been anything more than a passenger on a ship." And she had been thankful that on those three ships that she had been allowed to eat her food in the dark. There were some things that even her iron stomach had not wanted to see. "It's just the food here is much better than what I am used to," she confessed.

Tae smiled. "I am very particular of our stores and the Captain knows it. When we raid we go through their stores. If there is something there we need we take it." She shrugged.

"What are you making?" Kaoru asked, watching her chop what looked like some sort of odd vegetable and several different types of meat.

"Some of the men went fishing this morning." Taesaid easily. "This particular dish is called salamagundi."

Kaoru blinked when she watched Yahiko perk up from the corner where he was sitting.

"What?"

"I marinate fish and turtle in my special sauce and then combine it with palm hearts and oil. All of that goes into the pot with spiced wine." She said with a nod of her head. "Depending on what is on hand depends on what else goes into it. I don't want the grapes or olives to go bad, so those are going in along with some pickled cabbage and boiled eggs."

Tae laughed at Kaoru's disturbed expression. "I still have some left over muffins and I am sure you can eat some of the boiled eggs if you don't like it. Its standard fare on this ship, so you might as well get used to it," her voice was soothing**. "**I promise, it's not as bad as it sounds."

Kaoru shrugged. "It can't be worse than my own cooking." No matter what went into it this 'salamagundi,' it still sounded better than the hard tack she had originally thought they would be living off of. Apparently, this pirate ship had several safe havens and used them often to keep from loosing their supplies to weevils and rats.

Tae smiled at her. "Why don't you go with Yahiko and he can show you the stores while he takes care of his duties down there." Kaoru stood obediently, knowing a dismissal when she heard one.

Yahiko, on the other hand, was displeased if the way he dragged his feet and swore as he led her down the inside of the boat. He had stopped to pick up a lantern and carefully light it and then they moved down the narrows steps. The narrow hallway was dark and she was thankful for the lantern. She had gotten used to smell of old wood and sea salt but it was still a little overpowering. "Don't touch anything!" He snapped "If you move something and someone gets upset I am not covering for you."

Kaoru raised a brow and kept her mouth shut. There was musty smell mixed with male sweat this far inside the ship and she wrinkled her nose. No wonder the men spent all their time on deck playing cards or dice. "They keep all the supplies down here?" Kaoru asked, curious.

"Yes." He said reluctantly. "You're lucky; I already cleaned up last nights messes."

She opened her mouth to ask him what he meant but he stepped into a room and her already open jaw dropped even further. "Turtles? You keep _Turtles_?" Kaoru demanded in shock as she stared at the large bodies. "What…why…" She looked confused. "I didn't know you could keep them on ship!"

"We eat them." Yahiko said in exasperation. "These two are still young. Their just Hawksbill turtles." He informed her irrtably. "Were do you think the turtle meat comes from that Tae coosk with?" He looked at the turtles and shrugged. "Were going to have to catch some more soon."

Kaoru splutttered.

Yahiko rolled her eyes at her. "You're lucky," he told her mater-of-fact. "Its egg season so when we get to Barbados we can go look for nests for eggs. Turtle eggs are very tasty."

She blinked. "But you feed them and then eat them…" Kaoru stared at the turtles for several long moments before shaking her head. "You know…for all the ships I have been on I have never seen any of them catch turtles and then have them on ship before. Whose idea was this?" She raised a brow as she turned, shifting her weight away from a curious creature that was eyeing her foot.

"It's not like I name them and get attached. They're just turtles. They bite if you're not careful." He remarked, going to a bucket. "And it was Kenshin's idea. He got tired of bad meat and him and Aoshi figured out how to convert some of the hold to store animals. Its not the best situation but its better than some pirates have it."

Kaoru was distracted by how he feed them when something brushed against her ankle. Looking down she found herself looking down at a fuzzy black cat that had to be just a little older than a kitten.

"That's Biscuit." Yahiko said easily when he noticed who she was looking at her. "Her mother, Eight-piece only has one eye but is very good at sniffing out the rats." He moved towards her with a bored expression. "You wanted to see the stores?"

She nodded dumbly and followed him to another room. "What do you keep here?"

"The goods are in a different room." Yahiko said sternly. "If you want to see the booty you have to ask the Captain. The vittles are Tae's business so that's why you can see them. We keep any sort of fruit or vegetable that's in season. The barrels," the lantern illuminated shelves and barrels and sacks hanging from hooks. "Are beer, rum, port and brandy; the Captain doesn't really care for sherry so we don't keep it."

Kaoru stared at everything that was hanging. There were chunks of dried and salted meat hanging in bags off the floor to keep it away from the cats and the rats and everything was neatly organized. Some of the shelves were bare and there was a curious mixing of old fruit, salty meat, and the tang of alcohol in the room. "Are we low on supplies?"

Yahiko squinted. "Looks like it. I was afraid of that. We just stocked up when we picked you up but apparently the men who loaded it up had some complications and we lost some of it before we could get it stored properly. We will either stop again or hit up a ship to get more."

"You mean…raid a ship?"

"Of course. It's what we do. We are," he reminded her haughtily, drawing himself up straight in an attempt to look down at her, "Pirates."

* * *

Kaoru rocked gently with the motions of the boat in her hammock. 

After her tour from Yahiko, which also included being followed by the little black cat, she had helped Tae with a few small chores and then gotten bored. After lunch there had been a flurry of activity she didn't understanda sort of excited humming in the air, and so she had retreated back to her room to nap.

But before she had retired she had stood and watched for a moment, fascinated with the way the canvas sails had snapped in the wind. There had been anticipatory smiles on everyone's faces as they moved; a sort of charged excitement as they moved around in well ordered chaos. Bodies had slid around each other in a sort of primal awareness. She had turned back up to the wheel to see Kenshin balanced on a rail, a spy-glass held easily in one hand, a expression on his face she had never noticed before. His eyes had been narrowed slightly, the edges of his mouth curling, his spine straight; it was obvious who was creating most of the charged energy in the air.

She wondered what was going on.

Turning in surprise when the door opened she blinked when Misao moved in smoothly. There was none of the normal bounce in her young friends step. "Can you use any weapons? Kenshin wants you armed."

"Armed for what?" Kaoru asked softly. Her stomach tightened in anticipation and she was aware of the sounds going on above deck. Somehow, she already knew the answer. "I can use a pistol if the kick isn't too bad…" she admitted while she watched Misao practical dance in place.

"A Spanish war-ship has been spotted." Misao said grimly, her eyes narrowed with those same bright sparks of fire. "We're going to take it."

"Take it?" Kaoru demanded. "How are we going to do that?"

Her stomach knotted up. Kaoru had never been on board a ship that had been hit by pirates and she had never once thought she would be on board a ship where they went out and attacked other ships. She remembered that as a child she and her father had stood on the deck of a ship. It was one of her clearest memories, being held by her father as they sailed by the burning remains of a ship that had been obviously hit by a pirate.

"Isn't that…dangerous?" Her voice was soft and worried.

"Of course it is," Misao said in that same hard tone. "Everything is dangerous." She gave Kaoru a grim little smile. "If we are lucky we won't have to use the cannons. This far out in the Caribbean? No…I imagine both Captains are going to want to avoid a full out cannon ball match." Her smile was predatory. "This will, hopefully, be mostly hand-to-hand."

"What's the point of attacking a war**-**ship?" Kaoru asked as she extracted herself from the hammock without dumping herself on the floor. "How do you even attack anything?" Her voice was uneven and she squared her spine to make up for it. Just because she was in over her head didn't mean that she should act like a scaredchild.

Misao paused and tossed her a scarf to keep her hair out of her face. "First, we get to fire a warning shot. That's mostly point blank. Spanish cannons are slower and heavier than ours, so we can get the shot off. If they don't put all their cannons away then Aoshi takes down their masts. He is a really good shot!" Her voice was attempting to be assuring, but somehow she lost the affect with the amount of excitement that hummed in her words.

Kaoru blinked and bit her lip as she tied the scarf around her hair. "So then you board?"

Misao shook her head as she strapped a serious of belts around her waist. "No, we still have to force them to put away their cannons. Even if they don't fire cannon balls they can stuff them full of other things and fire those at us. We have a seriesof…_presents_…that Katsu excels at. He makes bombs." At Kaoru's confused expression she elaborated. "They're pretty much just iron balls filled with powder and topped with wax to hold everything inside and a fuse. I'm not sure what he does with them but the goal is to explode on impact. It's tricky, but he manages three out of five, which is impressive. It makes the _coolest_ sound. We have a few other tricks, of course, to tear apart sails and such." Misao rolled her neck. "Our biggest assistance is our flag." Her little hand wrapped around Kaoru's wrist and dragged her outside.

"Flag?"

"Battousai's flag is easily recognized. Even you know him. That sort of ruthlessness will have ships surrendering when they see it's us. It helps. We might have to kill some officers so don't get squeamish on me!" She ordered, flashing her a fierce smile. "Captain won't keelhaul anyone, so you won't have to watch that done."

Her mouth turned down, her entire demeanor suddenly serious. "Listen, if for some reason we loose…shoot yourself." It was a sudden change of topic that Kaoru stopped in the middle of the corridor and looked over at Misao. Her eyes had turned brittle. "The men will be keelhauled and what they will do to us women will be far worse."

Kaoru licked her suddenly dry lips and nodded. She was far too aware of the consequences of what could happen. She had only seen a man keelhauled once and she never, ever wanted to see it again. Kaoru didn't have the charged energy of the men around her but there was a growing grim determination to keep as many people alive as possible growing inside her chest.

She patted Kaoru on the cheek just as they stepped onto the deck. She flashed a large smile, instantlyexcited again. "I wouldn't worry about that, though. We don't loose."

The deck was _silent_.

Kaoru wasn't sure why that surprised her. Some of the deck cannons had been rolled out and if the grinding noises underneath her said anything, the ones underneath the deck had been rolled into place as well. Swallowing, she watched as the four men around the cannon began loading gun powder and a large cannon ball into place. Misao dragged her forward until they stood next to a railing, quite a bit away from Kenshin and Aoshi.

His sword was strapped to his waist, a black bandana holding his hair away from his face. The pale white of his shirt clung damply to his shoulders. Either from sweat or sea-spray as they shot forward; yet, the pitch and fore of the ship seemed to go unnoticed by him as he balanced lightly. "They aren't lowering their flag." Kenshin murmured softly. His voice somehow managed to carry over the complete length of the deck. There was a breathless moment as everyone waited for his decision. "Take the mast, Aoshi."

Kaoru watched the other ship. There were many brightly uniformed men scrambling to get their own cannons into place. Misao's expression was gleeful and Kaoru realized, in that moment, that every person on this ship was looking forward to what was about to happen. Her breathing was labored as she listened to Aoshi's deep voice give orders as the cannon was put into place. None of them seemed concerned that the other boat was loading their own cannon. She missed whatever signal they but as she Misao placed her hands over her ears, she turned her head to watch. Aoshi lit a long match and set it to the fuse.

He was really going to…

The cannon exploded loud enough to make her ears ring.

There was a loud, crunching noise and Kaoru jerked back around to look at the other ship. The great wooden mast cracked and tilted to one side, slowly being dragged down by its own weight. The men boiled like a beehive that had just had water thrown on it. "They have stinkpots!" Sano warned from the other end of the deck, holding something small in his own hand with a determined expression. "I think they are planning on being difficult!" Sano shouted out to Kenshin.

"Get the anti-personnel gear loaded. It shouldn't take more than one bundle shot!" Kenshin ordered, never leaving his position. "Megumi, Misao, get ready to clear the desk as quickly as you can. They are going to start launching as soon as we get close enough." His voice was grim but there was something about his expression…

"What about that cannon?" Katsu asked fiercely. His hands were dirty and his face was streaked with some odd gray substance. "They're going to fire soon."

"Take it out." Kenshin ordered. The second deck cannon exploded and Kaoru jumped when there was an answering shot from the Spanish ship'scannon. The crew droppe down flat as the cannon ball was shot over the deck.

Katsu raised a brow. "They're giving us a warning shot this late in the game?" He sounded amused and disgusted. He shook his head and then took off in a fast walk towards the center of the ship where the boarding planks were ready to be put into use.

Kaoru grabbed Misao's hand as everyone seemed to know what they were doing. She didn't dare ask Kenshin a question. "Stink pots?" She vaguely knew that bundle shotsinvolved lots of short, metal bars being fired in close rang at the soldiers but that was as far as her knowledge of pirate weaponry actually went.

"Clay pots filled with anything from tobacco to dead fish set on fire. They throw them on deck because they smell bad and cause panic. Try to breath through your mouth or wrap your bandana around your nose." She instructed, mimicking her words.

Kaoru blinked when she realized that most of the crew had already done similar. Kaoru found her hands filed with a pistol and a very long knife, shoved there by Misao. She looked up in surprise at the girl. The belts Misao had wrapped around her waist were holding dozens of dirks in place. "Our job is too get the stink pots off the deck as soon as possible. Yahiko will bring the scoopers…there he is." Yahiko's face was flushed and his eyes gleaming with excitement.

"I told you we would be hitting a ship soon." He gasped, shoving sticks with odd scoop shaped plates attached at the end. "Idiots are going to try to smoke us out."

"Or have us throw up to death." Misao pointed out. Her jaw was set. "Those things are vile." She shuddered as she watched the first few clay pots fly into the air. "Breath now."

Kaoru sucked in a deep breath as the first pot smashed into the side of the boat. The second hit its target and Misao and Yahiko moved quickly filling their scoops. Kaoru followed them and stomped on the smoldering bits that were burning the wood. Each pot received a similar treatment. Kaoru made the mistake of breathing in through her nose once and almost threw up her lunch, gagging instinctively at the rank smell.

Yahiko looked up from his scoop, sweat dripping down his face, and grinned. "We're going to board." He said fiercely. "I better go and find Tae."

Two more black pots hit the deck and started to smoke. Misao raced over and took care of them and Kaoru followed, her eyes flickering to the deck. The vibrations of a cannon below deck going off rattled her bones. There were screams coming from the other boat. Whatever Katsu was stuffing into those cannons was doing its trick because soldiers were writhing and bits and pieces of something were sticking out of bodies….

After the first round the sailors simply waited.

She soon found out why.

Her mouth went dry as she watched Kenshin's crew pick up small axes that she thought were called tomahawks. It shouldn't have surprised her that they were going to use weapons like that but…turning on her heel she ducked behind a mast and breathed deeply She didn't watch. Instead she managed to position herself in a semi-safe position with a large piece of wood between her and most of the throwing back and forth. She bit down on her bottom lip so hard that she could taste her own blood.

Between the smoke and the screams Kaoru almost missed the sounds of the boarding hooks being thrown. She jumped into the air ten when Misao suddenly appeared covered in ash and her face twisted into a wild grin. "Stay on this boat. Don't cross over. It's going to get bloody over there. The guys here will take care of you." Her jaw was set. "Don't hesitate to use your weapons! The pistol is loaded so don't point it at anything you don't want to kill." She disappeared and Kaoru watched as they pirates leapt over the rails and met the grim Spanish soldiers.

Kaoru watched the fighting with a sense of morbid fascination. People were being killed, and yet all she could do was watch. Something bright caught her attention and she shifted her gaze and swallowed.

Kenshin was fast.

He moved through people almost as if they weren't there. Even with the sounds of swords clashing, guns being fired, there was an unearthly sort of silence that seemed to follow him. She had never seen anything like it.

Sitting there, dirty and terrified, Kaoru almost forgot to watch for on-coming soldiers bent on destroying this ship's masts. She had lifted her gun and fired it before she thoughtand was grateful for the thankful expression on the pirate whose life she had saved.

She realized it was over only because the men around her seemed to relax from hyper aware to semi-aware. Her wrist ached from the kick of the pistol and her hands were stained from the shot and gunpowder she had nicked from a young boys body. **Kaoru** had been surprised at how fast she had gone through her bullets and had been forced to scrounge around for more.

She had thrown up in a corner but she doubted that anyone had noticed. There was blood everywhere on the deck and she was suddenly thankful that she wouldn't be responsible for cleaning it up. Dead bodies were being tossed over sea along with…pieces. She watched as Megumi came out, her face pale, and set about binding up wounds for those who were still alive on the deck. One of the men was missing two fingers and she thought she heard someone mummer about loses of men.

How could this be worth whatever was on that ship?

"Are you alright?" Megumi's voice came out of no-where. The young doctor was covered in blood, but none of it seemed to be hers.

"Generally it's not this bloody," she told the girl, sitting down beside her as they watched the men gather up tools to break down doors. Apparently they were going to clean the ship out. "Reputation plays a big part out here on the water when it's too easy to destroy both ships. Most Captains are willing to give up their goods instead of their lives and then sometimes there not." She offered her a small smile. "Or it can be worse. It depends on the captain. Unfortunately, this one was desperate."

"What's so important?" Kaoru asked softly. Her voice was low. "What about the men who are dead or injured?"

"We need whatever is in their stores." Megumi told her flatly. "We don't choose the ships we attack lightly. The Spanish Armada has been using bribes to buy off our own officials and this ship contains proof. We operate under a letter of marque, Kaoru. If we lose that to underhanded politicians we can be tried and hanged."

Kaoru bit her lip as she considered Megumi's words before giving a slow nod of recognition.

Megumi gave her a hesitant look. Whatever she was going to say, she apparently changed her mind. "The pirateswho are wounded will be compensated and those who died will have their compensation given to their wives or children. We are not heartless."

She winked. "Besides, we're running low on bombo." She teased breaking the mood. Her laughter was bright as she took in Karou's expression. The drink made of rum, water, sugar and nutmeg was not Karou's favorite but it was better than the alternative. Water spoiled too quickly on a ship.

"So we just want their goods and information." Kaoru said softly not really believing that. There was something going on here…Megumi's dropped comment about bribes and officials. Who exactly was this woman and what was the captain of this ship?

Megumi's eyes flickered, and she opened her mouth to say something else, and closed it. "Yes." She gave her a mischievous smile and stood.

Kaoru offered a faint grin in return not entirely certain if she was comfortable with all the information she had just been given.

* * *

Kenshin ruffled through the dead captain's papers. "Are you sure?" He asked Aoshi. The tall man was going through a cabinet that had been built into the wall. "Our information might have been faulty." There was a grim note in his voice but neither man stopped their search. 

"This close to Barbados? If the Spanish are bribing the French we need to know about it. Forged letters of marque are not to be tolerated by the Governor of Jamaica, and you and I both know it." Aoshi countered. "If we can get him proof of such an event then we might be able to keep certain individuals off our backs for a bit longer."

Kenshin gave a grim smile. "The sooner the better**," **he said his voice hard "I grow tired of this charade."

Aoshi made a satisfied noise and pulled a series of pages out of a file. "Here they are," he said lightly. "Do you think anyone will notice they're missing?" His tone was as close to sarcasm as Aoshi came.

"It will be too late by the time they do," Kenshin sneered at the messy office. "Let's get out of here. The sooner we clear out the better. These ships don't often travel alone and someone would have heard the fight."

"Want to check on Kaoru, do you?" Aoshi asked as he followed his captain.

"Sano always screws up the placement of the arms." Kenshin countered, not bothering to mask the way his eyes shifted across his own deck as they hit the hot sunlight. "I don't want to be stuck in firing distance if the winds die. The air is shifting. Have someone keep an eye on the sky."

* * *

Kaoru had almost bit through her bottom lip by the time she had gone through a set of rounds. Most of the wounds were minor now. Anything that had been major Megumi had seen to first. The worst of the wounds that were still alive was a cut one man took to the gut. If it had been any deeper his insides would have spilled out. She had fled to the starboard deck to lean up against some of the crates still on deck. The air was warm and she looked down at the blood still on her hands and swallowed. 

She almost jumped out of her skin when a damp cloth was dropped onto her hands. Looking up she found herself looking up at Kenshin. "Wash your hands."

She did so slowly, carefully cleaning out each line in her palm. Her nails were short but took a few more moments to clean. When she was finished the rag held dark red splotches and she wasn't sure weather to give it back or not. He took from her hands and put it in a bucket she didn't recognize. Ringing it out several times she jumped in surprise when he reached out and dabbed at her face.

"You didn't have to help them." He told her carefully, something like curiosity in his voice. "My men told me what you did. It wasn't expected of you." He said in a soft voice. There was something in his eyes that had her shoving to her feet.

"Listen here," Kaoru growled down at him. "I don't agree with a damn thing that's going on on this damn ship. That does not mean that I am going to sit around and let someone die in front of me and do nothing." She spun to head back down to somewhere, anywhere, when his hand snapped out and caught her wrist.

"I didn't mean to insult." He said in apology.

She turned and looked down and him and glared. "What exactly do you _mean_ to do? You kidnapped me, dragged me here, insult my intelligence and then apologize for suggesting that I don't have enough compassion to help someone in need." She continued to stare down at him and was surprised speechless when he smiled.

"Sit." He said, tugging her wrist. "Please."

Uncertain, and more than a littleweary from the day, she folded her knees and settled. Tugging her hand she silently demanded that he let her go, which he ignored, His fingers slid down to her wrist and then slipped his fingers between hers. "You're very stubborn." He told her in amusement when she tugged irritably.

"I am very _peeved_," she corrected darkly. His low chuckle could have been amusing she supposed. It did wonderful things to his smile and his eyes gleamed like polished jewels. Yet, at this point, it really just made her want to hit him. Repeatedly. Some of it must have shown on her face because she found her hand being pressed up his lips in what could have been an attempt at a placating gesture.

Her fingers wiggled unhappily. "What are your plans now, Oh Great Captain?"

He lowered his hand to his kneestill holding her hand in hisand rubbed her knuckles. "It depends," he murmured, his eyes darkening with something unknown. "Can you feel the shift?"

"The shift?" Kaoru asked, unsure what he was going at. Her eyes flickered across the open deck and she was surprised when she saw several crew members deliberately ignoring them.

"The air," Kenshin murmured. His eyes canned the clear skies. "A storm is brewing somewhere. It's just a matter if we will end up caught in its grasp."

"You can tell that just by feeling the air?" Kaoru asked, startled.

His eyes swung back to her. "Well," his mouth curved in a teasing smile. "That and the fact that Katsu's right wrist has been aching all day and it only aches when a storm is brewing." He winked at her and Kaoru continued to stare at him. "I suggest you eat. Get something light for dinner. It might get rough tonight." He glanced down at their hands and ran his thumb across her knuckles before letting go.

He stood fluidly, leaving her there, and walked easily back to whatever he had been doing.

Shaking her head, Kaoru stood. She was going to thankful when she got off this damn ship and have solid ground under her feet. It was just confusing around that man.

* * *

Kenshin lowered his spy glass and sighed. Dusk was starting to fall so it could have been a reflection but his gut told him it was something else. In the distance there was the faintest speck in the sky and it seemed to be coming closer. "We're in for a blow." Kenshin said moodily. "I say we have about five hours before it hits." He was thankful that he had Hannya watching for a sign. Spring storms could hit hard and fast without warning. "Are we close enough to outrun to a port or are we going to ride it out?" 

"There are three." Aoshi said as he approached his hands behind his back. "Barbados is the closest." He braced his feet in a wide stance and looked at the horizon.

Kenshin turned and raised a crimson brow, his mouth set into a thin line. "Is that the only harbor?" His voice was neutral yet there was a tense set to his shoulders.

Aoshi chose his words carefully. "It is the one we are most likely to make. If this storm is more than a spring storm we could be in for a wild ride. Do we want to risk that or take the shield on the backside of Barbados island?" He met Kenshin's eyes. "Barbados is the only one available."

Kenshin shut the spyglass in his hands before nodding slowly. "So be it. I want all hands on deck. We will get hit with hard winds soon and we need to be prepared. Warn Misao and Megumi to keep Kaoru below deck. It's going to get rough up here soon. Make sure that everyone puts safety lines on before they start running around like idiots." Slamming the spy glass closed, he moved towards his office. Hopefully, they would be able to out-run the worst of it.

Aoshi nodded once and spun on his heel, turning to gather the crew.

They moved quickly and it wasn't long before the canvas sails were snapping in the wind as they cut them all loose. The prow of the boat cut cleanly through the choppy water, but it wasn't long before the waves began to increase. The men kept themselves busy, tying off safety lines and partnering up. A tense bubble of silence was only broken by the occasional cry of a bird that landed on the ship to squawk its warning before it took off in its own attempt to race the violent storm.

The clouds chased them almost lazily, bringing a cold wind and sharp rain long before the lighting and waves began. The men worked to keep the sails intact as great gusts of wind tore at them. Eventually they were forced to roll them up or risk loosing them all together. It was dangerous, grim work and more than one man suffered rope burns and bruises from being caught on their safety lines.

* * *

Kaoru was thankful that Misao had suggested that she not go to sleep in her hammock. They had been forced to put all the lanterns out on the ship because of the sheer force of the waves that were tossing them about. Kaoru was certain that her arms and legs were going to have bruises. Megumi had been muttering vile things under her breath for close to an hour now. Kaoru suspected that the men who had been injured in the fight were having a hard time of it but it was too rough to go from room to room without being thrown about. 

Kaoru hated storms. She always had, but her experience on ships had taught her to really dislike the terrible blows that rocked a ship like a child's toy on the great water. "Are we going to make it to Barbados?" Kaoru asked softly. Megumi had told her that was were they were heading and even if they did make it they would have to stay on board throughout the storm because of the terrible winds.

"Yes," Misao's voice said firmly. "We have the time. This is still just the beginning. Don't worry, Kaoru. This ship has been put together very well and survived worse storms than this on the high seas."

That didn't make her feel better. They had been in the dark for so long that she was hypersensitive to each noise and motion and she almost screamed when the door banged open and Sano's figure was outlined in the doorway by the lantern he held in a white-knuckled grip. "Are you ladies alright?" He asked in a rough voice. At his feet rain and saltwater were forming a puddle.

"Were fine," Misao said with a smile. "It's been a little rough, but we're okay."

Sano nodded. "We have dropped anchor so things shouldn't get much worse than they are. It depends on how bad this thing gets. It's wild up there. We're pretty lucky we got here when we did."

His teeth flashed white in the room. "I better go and report to the Captain that everything is alright down here. You were my last stop. Go ahead and bed down for the night. It's probably still going to be raining in the morning but we will attempt to get everyone into some place warm and a hot meal before we assess damage." He nodded at Kaoru. "Kenshin has plans for you and the rest of the girls to be moved to Dr. Gensai's in the morning." With that he slammed the door behind him and the sounds of his boots thumping down the hall had everyone sighing.

"Well, we better follow his example. Were probably going to wake up wet with all the rainwater that's going to make its way down here but at least we won't have to worry about rats." Misao muttered. "The cats have been enjoying themselves."

Kaoru shuddered, quite certain that she wouldn't be able to sleep for the rest of the night.

* * *

Well, let me know what you lot think! I can't express how much I appreciate all the reviews that I get!

**For those who were sweet enough to offer to beta-read my stuff:** Hotmail spazed out on me and I no longer have email address. I apologize but if you would care to resend an review or email with which fic you were beta-reading?


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